Vengeance Is My Name
by speed killz
Summary: The secret relationship between a Schnee destined for a political marriage and an orphaned half demon; it could have only ended one way. Blake was never the type to settle, however. For her and her new friend Yang, it was truly a case of "Us Against The World", and with nothing but the sword in her hand, she swore that vengeance would be her name. Monochrome, eventual BumbleBY.
1. The Princess and The Stray

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter One

* * *

The sun had yet to rise in the eastern sky over the lands of Aster, the darkness of the night a heavy blanket over the mostly sleeping city of Nova.

One individual, however, was not sleeping. Having been awake for some time, a completely nude girl about eighteen years of age threw back the blankets and silently slipped out of bed.

The other occupant of the bed, an older girl with silver hair, turned over to glance over her bare shoulder.

"Don't get caught."

Her standard whispered warning was easily heard by the raven-haired girl, who largely ignored it in favor of searching for her clothes.

Eerily bright golden eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the room as she spotted her underwear near the door, and she languidly strolled over to retrieve it, bending at the waist and presenting the girl in the bed with a fantastic view.

A scoff was heard from the silver-haired girl before she turned back over, snuggling deeper into the blankets as she waved off the other girl.

"Seriously, Blake. Last time was a close call. Don't get caught. Even I can't save you if you do."

Dark red underwear slid up flawless, toned legs before Blake straightened, grabbing a shirt from the bedside table where it had been thrown in a haste last night.

"No one will ever catch me, Weiss." Her voice was low and sultry, and if one listened hard enough, they would swear they heard a rumbling purr accompany the words.

The silver-haired girl was silent, and Blake settled for finding the rest of her clothes. Leather pants that were just a bit too loose around her waist slid up her legs to rest on her hips, exposing her navel for a moment before she pulled the hem of her shirt down to cover it.

"I caught you." Weiss finally spoke.

Unseen in the darkness, two fuzzy, triangular cat ears swiveled toward Weiss, catching her soft spoken words as easily as if she had been shouting.

Blake paused, then sighed softly. Pulling on a worn out black cloak, she threw her hood up to cover her ears and hide her face before pulling on a pair of worn, yet very comfortable boots. Silently approaching Weiss' side of the bed, she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, taking a deep breath and inhaling the lightly perfumed scent of the princess.

"Yeah, you sure did." Blake replied quietly. Weiss smiled a bit at that, the most extreme range of emotion she would ever show other than frantic, muffled cries and gasps of passion that seemed to ring out too loudly in Blake's sensitive ears.

"Be safe." Was all Weiss said before Blake disappeared as swiftly and silently as the shadows under the assault of morning's first light.

The city of Nova was a bustling port city, set at the fabled 'End of the World', the southern most part of the entire continent. It was at the tip of a rather skinny peninsula, if one consulted a map, and was surrounded on three sides by water. Only heading north was possible if one wanted to avoid travel by ship, and it was a few days of travel before signs of further civilization would be found.

Being in the southern hemisphere, the city of Nova and the farmlands to the north of it enjoyed a much better growing season than other cities of it's size in the northern hemisphere. As such, it was a popular travel destination as well as an exporter of food.

Nova was also home to the Schnee kingdom, a large player that had shaped much of the political landscape the last few decades.

The Schnees had arrived twenty some odd years ago, recently enough to still be present in the minds of the elders, but not so recent as to be considered worth talking about anymore.

The Schnees had come down ruthlessly on the then-ruling monarch, the Winchesters, who clung to old, outdated methods of doing things. A sizable land force had seized all of the major trade routes into the city from the north, while a vast ocean fleet laid waste to any supply ship that dared attempt to enter port from the south.

Within months, the starving people had revolted, storming the castle and seizing the current monarch, lambasting the whole clan of Winchesters as failures, unable to protect or provide for their citizens.

A rebellion brought the Winchester clan to the Schnees, turning them over in exchange for food. The Schnee clan made good on their promise, lifting the siege on the city and offering the Winchesters a choice: flee the land and never return, or assimilate into the city as nothing more than peasants.

With only their damaged pride as their belongings, the Winchester clan fled the lands, promising revenge on the Schnees.

Their idle threats were soon forgotten, however, as within eighteen months, the leadership and business sense backed by a strong political wind helped bring the floundering port city into the new age, a barely surviving farming town turned into a tourist heavy city with increasingly strong exports.

No one could remember doing so well under the Winchesters rule, and all fully supported the new Schnee ruler.

Surely, more complete information could be found in the countless books written by the survivors of the siege, if one were interested enough.

Blake pulled her hood lower around her head, folding her ears down flat against her skull as she effortlessly slipped through the sea of people lining the streets.

As a progressive, forward thinking city, Nova saw its fair share of demons and half-demons alike, but the less attention she drew to herself, the easier her life would be.

Not everyone was as tolerant as she would have preferred...

As she made her way toward the bookstore where she worked, her thoughts turned toward the girl.

Weiss Schnee.

Seeing as her older brother Whitley was in poor health, and her older sister Winter had run off to play war from the safety of the General's quarters, that left her next in line to take control of the kingdom.

From an early age, Weiss had told Blake, her father had drilled it into her head that running a kingdom was, in more ways than not, like running a business. Just as poorly run businesses failed, or their workers struck up unions, so too would poorly run kingdoms fail.

It hadn't taken long for the Winchesters to be outed by their own people, and the Schnee line vowed to never let that become their own fate.

So far, the business-minded Schnee monarch had been overwhelmingly good for the port city of Nova, and it looked like a rebellion was the last thing on people's minds these days.

Blake deftly side-stepped around two unruly children, hand slipping under her cloak to grab at the handle of her dagger. Comforted by the touch of the familiar weapon, she glanced around at her surroundings before ducking her head once more, making her way down the street as swiftly as possible.

Weiss Schnee. A beautiful woman, a princess, and...

Blake grinned wryly as she pulled open the door to a little bookshop tucked away on the corner of two intersecting streets.

... And her lover.

With the door closing behind her, Blake reached up to throw back her hood. Straightening up, she allowed her ears to twitch freely, taking in the sounds of the quiet store as her nose took in the familiar, comfortable scent of dusty parchment and leather skins.

"It never gets old, huh?"

Blake let her shoulders drop as she exhaled, glancing to her right. Behind the counter sat a hyper active blonde haired boy. Well, a demon, to be precise. Despite his deceptively human features, he was through and through a full blooded demon.

"Sun." She greeted warmly, smiling at him. He winked at her, and tapped the side of his nose knowingly.

"Over the scent of old books, I smell something else." He said in a sing-song tone, eyebrows waggling suggestively.

"Never made it home to shower her scent off, eh?"

Instantly Blake's eyes widened, and she pulled a few strands of hair around to her nose, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply.

"Damnit." She groaned. Weiss' scent was heavy on her, and while that wasn't a problem for the dim-witted humans that wandered around, for any trouble-making half demon or full blooded demon, it was a dead giveaway.

Sun burst into laughter, his monkey tail flicking side to side behind him as if mocking her.

"That kind of thing could get you into a bit of trouble." He said when he had calmed down, reaching toward the counter to straighten up a sheaf of loose papers.

Blake moved over toward the counter as well, sliding deftly across it and alighting gently on her feet on the other side.

"It could get her into a lot of trouble." She retorted, picking up a folder that held a crude tally of book sales. She rifled through them, counting the unusual amount of tickets inside.

"We sold a lot of books today?" She asked, her tone puzzled.

Sun shrugged in a non-committed manner.

"Some guy came in and bought a bunch of stuff. I didn't really pay too much attention to it, though."

Blake tossed the folder back onto the wooden counter before moving over to a stool beside Sun and leaning back onto the edge.

"You don't really pay too much attention to a lot of things."

Sun swatted her gently with his tail, arms folded across his chest.

"I'd be offended, if I thought you were serious."

Blake glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"I'm dead serious."

"Oh."

Sun was silent for a moment, before poking her in the shoulder with the tip of his tail.

"I'd be offended if I thought it was untrue."

Blake smiled at that, shaking her head as the door to the shop opened.

"Welcome to The Book Haven." She greeted automatically. "Is there anything I can help you find?"

A terse, "No." was the only reply she got, and she shrugged it off as she glanced at Sun.

"So, what is the pr-"

Blake cut him off with a glare, tilting her head toward the man wandering between the bookcases and shaking her head in a, 'Are you daft?' kind of way.

He glanced over as the man disappeared behind a bookcase, then shrugged.

"So, uh, what is... her thoughts on going public?" He asked, his voice lower as he leaned toward Blake. "Y'know, about the two of you?"

Blake returned the shrug as she thought about her response for a moment. Reaching up to scratch at her second pair of decidedly furrier ears, she mentally lamented for Weiss' skilled touch instead.

"She wants to fly under the radar for a little while longer. To be sure everything is ready for when we go public." She replied. "It will cause an uproar, that's for sure. Not everyone will support it, or understand it, but... "

"But that doesn't matter, right? You love her."

Blake was unable to keep the smile from spreading across her face, and she ducked her head to hide the beginnings of a blush across her cheeks.

"More than anything." She answered honestly.

Sun chuckled quietly at the answer.

"Well, from the smell of it, she really loves you."

"Sun!"

* * *

It was well past midnight when a shadowy figure silently alighted upon the balcony outside Weiss' open window, and the silver haired girl, still awake, barely reacted as the black-clad figure effortlessly contorted through the window.

"You're awfully late." Weiss spoke softly, her voice carrying a tone of disinterest as she refrained from looking up from the small leather bound journal she was writing in.

The figure straightened up and strode into the circumference of light thrown by the solitary candle on Weiss' desk. Throwing back her hood, Blake revealed herself to the girl.

"Seems you've got a guard on the southern wall of the palace that's looking for a raise. If I were in any sort of hurry to get up here, I might've contemplated killing him." She joked quietly.

Weiss hummed softly. "Our guards aren't eligible for raises, and if you killed one of them, it would raise the highest of alarms."

Blake blinked a few times, unsure if Weiss had totally missed her joke, or if this was more of the girl's special brand of dry, dull humor.

"Besides, " Weiss spoke, setting down her pen and spinning around in her chair to look at Blake, "You're hardly a killer. You're great at sneaking, and probably play a mean game of hide-and-seek, but you're not a killer."

Blake, in lieu of agreeing with her, stepped closer to Weiss, her heart throbbing achingly in her chest as her golden gaze took in those gorgeous blue eyes and flawless skin.

At a loss for words and unable to formulate a reply, Blake instead settled for kneeling down in front of Weiss so that they were at the same level, before wrapping her arms around the slightly smaller girl and hugging her tightly.

Weiss sighed in mock exasperation before returning the hug, kissing the side of Blake's throat before releasing the taller girl.

Blake stood, then offered her hand to Weiss. The girl took it, standing up and allowing Blake to lead her to her bed.

"What's on the royal agenda for tomorrow?" Blake asked, her voice low as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Weiss sat beside her, mere inches separating them as she reached up to tuck her long silver hair behind her ear.

"A meeting with advisers." She answered quietly.

"Ooh, trying to figure out how to use your vast amounts of money to generate much more vast amounts of money?"

Weiss glanced sideways at Blake, unsure if it was a genuine question or not. The smirk playing around Blake's lips told her it wasn't, but she couldn't ignore the question anyway.

"Please. If the Schnee Kingdom is good at anything, it's accumulating wealth."

Blake glanced wordlessly around Weiss' large, ornately decorated bedroom, then glanced back at her with a raised eyebrow, as if to say, 'Really? Are you sure?'

"There are things happening in this country, and around the world. Every day brings change, and if we wish to be a leader on the forefront of technology and trade, then we must stay informed so as to make the best decisions we can."

Blake sighed, then flopped down on her back on Weiss' large, comfortable bed.

"Borrrrring." She droned, looking up at Weiss' back.

Weiss glanced over her shoulder at Blake, who merely held her arms out in a 'Come here' gesture. After a second's thought, she pouted a bit, sticking her bottom lip out for good measure.

Weiss sighed, then stood. With one smooth, deft motion, she pulled her night gown up over her head before dropping it to the floor.

Blake stared at her naked form with adoration in her eyes, studying the girl as if she hadn't been here just last night.

Weiss pulled back the blankets and crawled into bed, motioning for Blake to join her under the blankets.

More than happy to do so, Blake wiggled her way under the hefty mountain of warm blankets, before beginning the laborious task of stripping off all her clothing. This time though, Weiss wasn't peeling them off her in a frenzy, and she carefully organized them on the side of the bed in order of first retrieval.

Finally, the part she was truly looking forward to, the moment her body literally ached for, Blake turned back toward Weiss and wrapped her arms around her lithe body. Pulling her close, Blake pressed their naked bodies together as she kissed Weiss passionately on the mouth.

Weiss hummed softly in appreciation, and Blake entwined her legs with Weiss', eager to press their bodies together just a little bit closer.

After a moment, Weiss' grip on Blake's shoulders tightened, almost imperceptibly, and Blake broke the heated kiss reluctantly as Weiss caught her breath.

"Do you... do you just run from the time you leave here in the morning, until the time you come back?" Weiss asked incredulously, pausing to catch her breath. "I've never met anyone with stamina as high as yours."

Blake smirked, nuzzling her nose against Weiss' cheek.

"I know you secretly love it." Blake drawled quietly. "And that endurance has come in handy more than once."

Weiss' cheeks darkened slightly, but she didn't bother to refute Blake's assertion.

"Besides, " Blake said, leaning in and kissing Weiss on the lips, "I really missed you."

Weiss scoffed, the tips of her ears as warm as her cheeks, but in the darkness of the room, covered by blankets, she was sure Blake couldn't tell.

... Or could she? Weiss had heard the stories about how well half-demons and demons saw in the dark, and in Blake's case, her hearing was as exceptional as her sight. But surely that was a grain of truth that had been summarily stretched, right?

"You're so cute when you blush, I love it." Blake muttered.

Weiss groaned quietly. Apparently not. Resigning herself to be embarrassed for the rest of the night by Blake's antics, she snuggled in closer to the raven-haired half-demon's embrace.

"Weiss... " Blake let her lips ghost over Weiss' ear, her warm breath tickling her skin and making the girl shiver in her arms.

"Y-yeah?" Weiss internally kicked herself for stuttering.

"I want to take you out tomorrow night, to celebrate."

Instantly, Weiss stiffened in her arms, becoming the very picture of discomfort.

"Where?" She asked cautiously, unsure of what Blake was getting at.

Blake merely laughed, however, placing small kisses along her jawline until Weiss slowly relaxed back into her arms.

"Somewhere private, don't worry. No one will see us, and even if they do, I'll be disguised, as I always am."

Weiss hummed softly, not totally convinced.

"Although, I really do wish you'd let us go public." Blake hedged, gently nuzzling her nose against Weiss' cheek.

Weiss vehemently shook her head.

"No, Blake. You know how that would end for the both of us. A royal or politically advantageous marriage is my future, and you know it. For me to come out as... this... with you, a half-demon... you know what they would do to us. What my own family would do to us. I just don't think it's in the cards right now. I'm sorry."

Blake half sighed, half groaned, feelings of frustration welling up in her chest.

"Come on, Weiss! What am I supposed to do? You know how much this kills me."

Weiss was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say.

"Please Weiss... you said you'd give this some serious thought. When you're running the kingdom, things can be different, can't they?" Blake was nearly pleading now, repeating words she'd uttered over and over countless times before in this very bed.

Weiss bit her lip, her silence speaking volumes between them.

Blake sighed, then closed her eyes as she pulled Weiss tighter to her.

"You might have given up, Weiss, but I love you with all of my heart, and I won't stop fighting for you. Even if you do."

Weiss reached up and grabbed Blake's shoulders, squeezing tightly and digging her nails into Blake's tender flesh. Blake winced and raised her head to meet Weiss' furious stare.

"I'm NOT giving up."She whispered angrily. "A Schnee never gives up."

"Really?" Blake asked, her voice disbelieving. "Because it sounds like you are."

Weiss' upper lip curled into a half snarl.

"I'm not giving up, Blake. I just... I can't rush into this knowing what the outcome will be. If I want to give this a serious shot at working, I need time, and I need you to have faith in me. I promise you, outing ourselves at this point will result in you being killed. That's not what I want for you. I don't care how impatient you are, we need to play our cards right if we want things to go our way. I wish I could make you understand that!"

Blake's brows furrowed over her sharp, golden eyes. "How long have I been patiently waiting? I've been sneaking into your room nearly every night for the last five years! I just... !"

Blake sighed quietly, willing herself to calm down.

"I just want you as mine." She whispered softly. "I'm tired of sneaking around."

Weiss tilted her head up and pressed a kiss to Blake's forehead, taking a deep breath and inhaling the natural, alluring scent of Blake.

"Nothing worth having ever comes easy, Blake. Give me just a little more time."

Blake was quiet for a moment, before gently pushing Weiss over onto her back. Throwing a leg over Weiss' hips, she straddled the girl as she stared down at her. With her long, silver hair fanned out around her head in a soft, silky halo, Blake could only stare in awe and wonder at the beautiful girl beneath her.

Smiling up at her, Weiss reached up and gently caressed her cheek.

"We get so precious few moments together, let's not spend them arguing about the same old things, hmm?"

Blake nodded her agreement, leaning down and kissing the side of Weiss' throat. Leaving a trail of soft kisses down her neck to her collarbone, she gently nipped at that one spot that she knew would drive Weiss wild.

"I'll show you one thing worth having that comes easy." Blake whispered cheekily, ducking her head down and kissing Weiss' chest as the girl gasped quietly. Arching her back and running her hands through Blake's long black hair, she grabbed fistfuls and held on tightly as Blake's rough pink tongue caressed her skin.

* * *

Author's note: Okay, so this is a story I've been wanting to write for a while. I've been wanting to find some fanfics that are BumbleBY oriented, but where they either don't like each other or straight up hate each other in the beginning. Anyone who has read my collection of one shots, "Of Sunsets and Night Skies", knows that I'm a huge BumbleBY shipper, so this is my attempt to write that ship a bit differently than I normally do. (Anyone who knows some decent fics like I described above, seriously, hit me up). I believe that we should all write the kinds of stories we'd love to read, so this is that. I'll more than likely be editing it as I go along, but for now, I'm happy with what I've written so far. Feel free to drop me a review and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


	2. We Send Our Regards

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Two

* * *

The sky was dark in this world. An overcast grey that never seemed to brighten. No matter which direction she looked, Yang was unable to see any hint of the sun behind the wall of grey, and the whole landscape around her appeared to be washed out. It was snowing out, but the cold didn't seem to bother her as she found herself standing in front of a set of aluminum double doors. She hesitated a moment, and looked around. The landscaped seemed to fade away from her sight, growing fainter and less detailed the further away from the doors she looked.

This was it, then. The way she was supposed to go.

Yang reached out and grabbed the metal pull handle on the door. She was expecting it to be ice cold, but her expectations were subverted as she realized that it almost felt like nothing. There was the sensation of a lower temperature, but it didn't truly feel cold to her.

Even the sensation of temperature was washed out in this world.

She effortlessly pulled the door open and stepped into the monolithic building. As the door gently closed behind her, she tuned into an almost painful silence, the sound of wind blowing outside not registering in her mind until it was shut out by the sturdy metal doors.

With the sound of her footsteps resounding loudly in her ears, she took careful, measured steps down the hall. She wasn't exactly sure where she was, or what she was looking for, but sure enough, if she looked long enough, she would find it.

She always did.

She didn't have to search for very long. As the end of the hall materialized into view through a dark, hazy gloom, she saw a lone figure sitting on the floor and leaning up against the wall.

As Yang drew closer, she felt herself speaking. Uttering a single name, the sound was distorted as it reached her ears until she couldn't be sure exactly what she was saying. The figure, raven haired and light of complexion, leaning up against a wall of lockers with a book in their hand, however, seemed to understand her just fine. After the second or third time attempting to speak, the lone figure seemed to register her presence.

Yang came to a stop in front of the figure, which she identified as The Girl.

Yang had taken to referring to her as The Girl, a mysterious, lonely figure who appeared to her, always in a different time or place, but always without fail.

Yang felt, rather than heard, herself speaking once more, and after a moment's contemplation, The Girl carefully dog-eared the page of the book she was reading before slipping it into her backpack. Slowly, she stood, stopping to wipe some imagined dust from her backside before looking to Yang and nodding slowly.

They fell into step together, and Yang silently wondered if she would glean any more information from this encounter, or if she were doomed to wonder eternally what the meaning behind these encounters were.

Against her will, the faces of two more people flashed through her mind. A girl who appeared to be a few years younger than herself, with black hair ending in red dye. She was short, the weapon she carried taller than she was.

Unbidden, her name came to her lips, sounding familiar, yet strange all at the same time.

Another girl, short, with flawless skin save for a scar over her left eye. Her silver hair was a point of interest, as was her odd choice of a side ponytail.

She knew these people. Or, at least, it felt like she should.

Their names were familiar to her, yet intangible. She couldn't for the life of her remember what they were, yet they rolled off her tongue effortlessly as she found herself speaking to The Girl.

The Girl however, seemed to be distracted. Yang found herself repeating whatever it was she had said earlier, this time asking a question about herself as she did.

The Girl glanced up at you, then said something that made you grin widely. You ran your fingers through your beautiful golden locks as you replied with something cheeky, but whatever it was, she apparently didn't like it as she stared at the floor.

Your heart panged at the thought of The Girl being downcast, and you jogged ahead of her to hold open the door for her.

She nodded her thanks to you, choosing to say nothing. A splash of boldness wormed it's way through you, and you sidled up close to her and threw an arm around her shoulder. She seemed to stiffen for a moment, and you vaguely entertained the idea of removing your arm. That is, until she relaxed into your side, resting her head on your shoulder.

It was snowing outside, and with The Girl by your side, the world seemed... more real. The snow felt cold when it landed on your skin, and there was a bright spot in the sky where the sun hid behind overcast, pregnant clouds.

A power stirred and boiled beneath your skin, surprising you with it's presence. You weren't aware of it until now, but it seemed like it wanted to be unleashed. You were curious about the feeling coursing through you, and much like one would crack the tap for a trickle of water, you closed your eyes and turned your face to the sky as you let the feeling of power flood through your body.

And then you were warm.

The Girl by your side tried to suppress a shiver of delight, but you felt her tremble against you before she unfolded her arms and pulled herself closer in a one-armed embrace.

You giggled lightly at the uncharacteristic contact, but otherwise say nothing. She doesn't mind your laughter, and makes no move to pull away.

You relish in the contact, as The Girl filled you with a peace and tranquility that you've known precious little about in your life.

It doesn't take long to reach another set of doors, and before you can say or do anything, The Girl pulls away from you and skips forward, grabbing at the door handle and pulling it open for you.

Feeling more daring than you had in the past, you reach out and gently caress her cheek, pinching her lightly and laughing at the scowl that darkened her face as she glared at you.

You ignored the glare as you sauntered through the door, every step somehow feeling lighter with her by your side. A smile graced your lips as you thought of her, and momentarily you realized that she was lagging a bit behind you.

You come to a stop, spinning on your heel as you open your mouth to ask her why she was walking so slowly. The words don't have time to leave your mouth, however, as The Girl plows face first into you, her face nearly colliding with your chest.

Quickly you reach out and grab her wrists as she gives her head a shake, and you feel a smirk forming on your lips.

You ask her a question, and she raises her head to look at you, her amber eyes wide and defenseless.

You speak again, your voice a husky whisper that you know she'll have no problem hearing.

She seemed to be frozen in place, and you took advantage of her surprise to lean in closer to her, whispering one final sentence as your lips close in on her own...

* * *

Yang awoke suddenly, snapped out of her dream by a bright light shining in her eyes. Groaning softly to herself, she sat up and pushed her long golden hair out of her eyes with her left hand as she threw back the light blanket she had been sleeping under with her right.

Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she looked around her temporary campsite as she replayed the dream in her head, attempting to etch every detail into her mind before it could be forgotten.

It was a strange environment this time, she thought, as she glanced up at rays of sunshine breaking through the tree cover overhead.

It seemed to be, from what she could remember, some sort of institute of education. A large building, with a statue in the courtyard, and she was almost certain she had glimpsed a winged flying machine soaring around the darkened sky.

The girl...

Yang sighed, and slowly pushed herself to her feet. Reaching up above her head she stretched mightily, allowing her muscles to awaken before she put them to work packing up her camp. Glancing around, she saw that the fire had died out at some point in the night, and now not even a tendril of smoke rose from the ashes of the fire surrounded by a makeshift stone pit.

Before she left, she would have to remember to kick some dirt over it, to ensure it was truly extinguished.

Bending over at the waist, Yang felt her spine crack and pop as it stretched. Wincing at a particularly loud crack in her neck, she grabbed her pack from the ground and straightened up. Ripping open the top, she quickly found what she was looking for. Retrieving a canister of water, she popped the lid off and took a gulp before upending it over her face. As the cold water splashed over her face, effectively waking her up, she shook her head and exhaled loudly as cold droplets ran down her shirt onto her chest.

Replacing the water canister back into her pack, she set about packing up her cooking and sleeping supplies. As she did so, she let her mind wander.

She couldn't really explain who the girl in her dreams was, or why she dreamt of her. A few times a week, at least, without fail, Yang would have vivid, recurring dreams of her. She had for the last year. It would have driven her crazy by now, if she hadn't felt a deep, unexplainable connection to the raven haired mystery woman. So, Yang had done the only rational thing she could think of. A few months ago, she had packed up as many supplies as she could carry, and left her home in search of the girl. Understandably, her father was a little more than upset at her choice, and had pleaded with her not to go.

His logic hadn't won out over her strong will, and she had bid him farewell as she left the house she had been born in, and set out from Parvus Solis, the only town she had ever known.

Parvus Solis, or simply Solis, as the locals called it, was not a large town by any definition of the word. Less than three hundred full time residents occupied the town year round, and most of the revenue in the town was made by those who labored in the mines. The town sat on land that was rich in galena, an ore of lead and a source of silver. Mining the ore was arduous, and although the town attracted a high amount of people looking for work every year at the beginning of the mining season, few of them lasted and made Solis their home. Mining the ore was largely left up to the locals, and kept the majority of the money in the town.

Yang's father had started out as a mere laborer in his teens, much like his father before him. Over the years, his fiery work ethic, combined with his ability to soak up knowledge like a sponge lead him to advance to a more leadership based role, and along with a small increase in income, allowed him to provide a better life for his daughter and wife than he had had as a child.

Her mother had been more accepting of her desire to strike out on her own. She hadn't told either of them that she was going out to look for a mysterious girl - her father, a strong believer in the occult - would have firmly disallowed it based on that fact alone, but when she had explained to her mother that a strong, unrelenting force seemed to be tugging at her soul and calling her name, her mother had merely smiled and written it off as a desire to travel, a sort of wonderlust that she couldn't quite quench.

Yang exhaled mightily as she straightened, items tightly gathered into her pack. Running her hand through her hair, she pushed it back out of her face as she spun around on her heel, surveying the small patch of dirt that had been her overnight home.

"Oh! Right!" She spoke cheerily to herself, before moving over to where her fire had burned last night. Dragging her boot sideways along the ground, she gathered up a small pile of dried dirt before swiftly pulling it into the fire, smothering anything that might have still been burning underneath the ashes.

No need to set the surrounding forest on fire, after all, no matter how unlikely that might be.

Satisfied with her handiwork, she grabbed her backpack off the ground and hoisted it onto her shoulder. It was significantly lighter than when she had set out from Inlustris, a larger town a few days behind her, toward the west. Luckily, a town called Nova was a bit east of her, if not slightly south and a bit out of the way. It couldn't be helped though, she thought, as she set out at a comfortable pace. Stopping in each town along the southern coast was the most efficient way to gather supplies and gather information on this girl she was searching for.

She didn't have a lot of money, but she had a few silver ingots given to her by her father that she refused to trade for cash. They were expensive, and concealed quite well on her person, and wouldn't see the light of day unless it were truly an emergency.

So that left working for her money. Luckily, there was always someone in need of assistance in the bigger, bustling towns. If not a shop-keep looking for someone to fill in on a busy market day, or a farmer looking for a helping hand, Yang was no stranger to labour, and would happily work as hard as she could if it meant moving one step closer to her goal.

Of course, it hadn't been her first choice in the beginning. Not out of any sort of laziness, but because she had seen it as an unnecessary delay. Once realized it provided an opportunity to make a few coins, or trade her labor for supplies, and talk to some people about the girl she sought, she didn't mind it so much.

Slowly, over many inquiries, she had learned that there was almost an art form to talking to people. If she came on too strong, people shied away, not willing to get mixed up with a stranger from out of town who seemed hell-bent on finding someone in their town. It was seen as disruptive, a way to cause trouble.

And of course, others still saw it as a business opportunity, wanting to trade information for coin.

The problem with that was, often what information they had was useless or wrong.

So Yang had gotten more skilled in the art of conversation, and when she eventually steered the conversation toward the mysterious girl that haunted her dreams, it was seen more as a way to make idle conversation rather than a forced interrogation.

Yang glanced up at the morning sky as she broke through the edge of a forest that had provided her cover throughout the night, and was simultaneously thrilled and disappointed to see a cloudless blue morning sky overhead. She loved the sunshine, but in the midst of the summer months it could often times become far too hot for sustained foot travel, forcing her to take more breaks in the shade than she would have liked, and draining her water supplies faster than she would have preferred.

She slightly increased her pace, determined to make up time in the morning when it was cooler out, in case the afternoon sun forced her to stop for a while.

She'd stopped in three towns so far in her journey from her home town on the west coast to the city of Lunae on the far east. At first she hadn't been sure where to look, and the idea of asking every single person she saw was obviously ludicrous. For a while she had thought about putting up missing persons posters, but that idea was quickly shot down when she realized her memory of the girl was fuzzy around the edges and shrouded in mystery. No idea what her name was, or, if she was going to be completely honest with herself, if she even really, truly existed.

So Yang had devised a plan that she felt offered her the best chance of success whilst not dallying too long in each city.

She would enter a town and inquire at the top three most popular inns, bars, and stores, no matter what they may be. Armorys, bookstores, foodstores, whatever seemed the largest or busiest was the target of her focus, as she felt it gave her the best access to the largest amount of people.

It was a lot of legwork, but in the smaller towns she often got lucky in that they weren't large enough to have more than three bars, or three inns, or three stores. It streamlined the process for her, and got her in and out of the town a lot quicker than otherwise possible.

So far, she had gained a grand total of...

Nothing. No one she had talked to knew of the girl she had been asking about, and although it had been incredibly disheartening, it came as no surprise. Yang was essentially asking about a dark haired girl of average height. With precious few other defining characteristics to describe, the girl she was asking about was so laughably common that Yang almost considered giving up halfway through her first town.

That night, however, she'd had the most vivid dream yet of the enticing, beautiful girl, and it had renewed her determination to figure out exactly why she was having these dreams.

With a sense of urgency slowly energizing her limbs, Yang increased her pace once more, knowing that if she kept her delays to a minimum, she could make it to Nova before sunset.

That would leave her plenty of time to get a room at the local inn for the night, and to get ready to go out to the bars and survey the night scene.

* * *

It was late evening and the sun had begun its decent through the western sky, radiant heat warming the air as a light breeze intermittently stirred the leafy green treetops.

The gentle movement of the breeze was just pronounced enough to keep the air from being stifling, and the breeze carried with it the faint scent of flowers.

Blake could feel her heart hammering painfully in her chest as she walked side by side with Weiss, and as they strolled along the well groomed path through the beautiful forest at the edges of Nova, she was sure that every passer-by could as well. Every attempt to calm down was met with the overwhelming realization that this was Weiss by her side, the girl she had loved since she was young, and the one she couldn't get out of her mind.

Weiss glanced at her from the corner of her eye, acutely aware of her agitation.

"What has you so nervous?" Weiss asked softly as she reached up to adjust the hood around her face.

Blake shrugged as she took measured paces beside the silver-haired girl.

"Nothing I can really describe." Blake answered cryptically, tilting her head back and closing her eyes as splashes of sun burst through the trees overhead to cascade warmly across her cheeks.

Weiss hummed softly, not pleased with the answer. They walked side by side for a moment, Weiss bowing her head ever so slightly to hide her gaze beneath her hood whenever they passed someone else on the sparsely populated walking trails.

"How long have we known each other, Blake?" Weiss asked, her voice a soothing balm to Blake's ears.

Blake took a moment to pretend to think about it, although truthfully she could name down to the day they had met.

' _Six years, four months, and twelve days ago..._ '

"Ehh... about six years ago... ish?" Blake slipped her hand underneath her hood and rubbed the back of her neck.

Weiss smiled, knowing Blake well enough to see through her disguise.

"Life was so carefree all those years ago." Weiss murmured, raising her head to examine the trees around them.

Blake shifted uncomfortably at those words.

"Our future is so uncertain, isn't it?" Weiss asked, pausing along the path. She reached up and gently laid a hand against the rough bark of a white poplar tree.

Blake was at a loss for words, unable to speak.

"You and I, it's so clear that we aren't meant to work out, but... somehow, we cannot stop. We cannot leave each other alone. It's funny, isn't it?"

Blake bit back a haughty reply. She didn't find any humor in their situation at all.

"I'll do whatever it takes to ensure that we're never apart." Blake stated firmly, although the conviction in her voice was stronger than the conviction in her heart. Her belief in a future with Weiss seemed to grow weaker by the day, and with each word Weiss spoke, she believed in her certainty less and and less.

"You've certainly said that before." Weiss said. Blake bristled at the words, despite her tone holding no scorn or hint of mockery.

Weiss let her hand fall from the trunk of the tree in front of her. Slowly turning, she reached up and pushed her hood back, revealing her flawless skin to the setting sun. Taking a step back until she was pressed up against the tree, she raised her hands up helplessly.

"What will you do when the kingdom needs an heir?" Weiss asked. She raised a slender eyebrow, looking Blake up and down.

"We both know you aren't... equipped for that task."

Flushing a dark red at the implication, Blake stepped a bit closer, attempting to shield the girl from any potential onlookers.

"A political marriage is looking more and more likely every day." Weiss spoke softly, speaking the truth despite taking no joy in it.

Blake ground her teeth together, her jaw clenching so tightly her fangs felt like they would shatter.

"My father is quite fond of the Vasilias clan."

Blake tilted her head to the side, her golden eyes catching a slash of sunlight and glinting brightly.

"Are you?" She asked.

Weiss shrugged noncommittally.

"If there's one thing that should be readily apparent here, Blake, it's that my opinion doesn't matter. It carries no weight, and will affect nothing."

"Just because it doesn't matter doesn't mean you don't have it."

The corner of Weiss' mouth curved up, apparently amused by Blake's response.

"The Schnee kingdom would do well to align themselves with another royal family like the Vasilias clan. They're the first, and best producer of ocean faring vessels in the world. Seeing as Nova is surrounded on three sides by water, and our naval fleet is... aged, to say the least, aligning with them would do wonders for our navy."

Blake clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms as she struggled to organize her furious thoughts.

"So that's it, then? 'Thanks for fucking me Blake, but someone else has more money and ships'?"

Despite being a half-demon, Blake didn't see the strike coming. She felt it though, the hot stinging that burned across her cheek. Weiss' nostrils flared slightly in anger as she glared up at Blake, cheeks red with a sudden fury.

"You say that like it's my choice!" Weiss hissed, her voice low. "You're not the only one suffering Blake, I'm just a little better at hiding it than you!"

Blake fell silent, choosing to rub her cheek slowly instead of replying, lest she make the situation worse.

"You say you'll do whatever it takes to hold on to me, but all you've done the last few months is bitch and complain!" Weiss growled. "You know as well as I do that my father- the kingdom- won't stand for this. A filthy, ragged half-demon from the streets and the heir to the kingdom that liberated them from the dreadful rule of the Winchesters, it'll never happen, Blake!"

Weiss' voice was louder now, and Blake folded her ears back against her skull as she tried to block out the loud voice and hateful words. Confusion rippled through her at the sudden turn in attitude, and she took a step back to put some distance between them. Her heart stung much more than her cheek did at the angry words Weiss uttered, but the look on her face was enough to collar her into silence. Weiss' face was twisted into an unrecognizable mask of despair and defeat.

"It'll never happen, Blake." Weiss whispered once more, her voice breaking as she fell silent.

Blake was unsure of what to say, unsure of what could be said to fix this. She fought back tears as she wondered how it had come to this. This wasn't at all how she had wanted this to turn out, but despite her best intentions it was spiraling quickly out of control.

Reaching up to scrub at her eyes with the back of her wrist, one final thought entered her mind, and she decided that she had nothing to lose as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Can't we run away?" Blake asked, her voice broken and pleading as she watched a myriad of emotions flash across Weiss' pale blue gaze.

Weiss stepped closer to Blake, closing the strange, unfamiliar distance between them. Reaching up, Weiss pushed back Blake's hood to reveal her lightly tanned face. Sunlight danced through the trees and swayed across Blake's face, drawing sunlit lines between the freckles that dotted her cheeks and splashed across her nose.

Resigned blue eyes searched frantic gold for any hint of understanding before Weiss wrapped her arms around Blake's neck, leaning up on her tip toes and kissing Blake on the mouth.

In this moment, neither seemed to care who might see.

Blake wrapped her arms possessively around Weiss, clutching her tightly as Weiss licked hesitantly at Blake's lips.

Blake tilted her head to the side and parted her lips willingly, allowing Weiss to deepen the kiss as she threaded her fingers through Blake's smooth raven locks.

There was an unfamiliar hunger to Weiss' kiss, as if she simply couldn't get enough. Blake winced as Weiss roughly bit her bottom lip, but the pain was soothed as Weiss gently passed her tongue over the indentation she had left before resuming the passionate kiss.

The kiss was over almost as soon as it had begun, with Weiss reluctantly pulling away. For the first time she could remember, Blake fought to catch her breath, her chest heaving as she stared down at the shorter girl with a confusing mixture of adoration and confusion.

Pale, emotionless blue eyes regarded Blake steadily as Weiss licked her lips slowly, as if to savor the taste of the kiss. After a moment, she opened her mouth to speak.

"I am."

Confusion furrowed Blake's eyebrows at the two words, until she remembered what she had asked her just a moment earlier.

"What are you-"

Blake was cut off as a rustling to her left caught her attention, and her sharp cat ears swiveled toward the sound quicker than she could turn to look.

Her sharp instincts kicked in, and she leaned back as she turned toward the sound, a sharp knife whizzing past her face and flying off into the brush behind her. Instantly her pulse skyrocketed, and she dropped into a crouch as she glanced at Weiss.

"Weiss!" Blake growled, "Get down!"

Weiss, however, seemed frozen in place, whether by fear or disbelief, or some combination of the two. She stayed rooted to her spot, immobile, a wide open target for the unknown assailant.

A few yards away, a large man pushed away a thick covering of brush, stepping onto the path as he drew another slender knife from a belt slung over his shoulder. He was clad in all black, a vest covering his upper body and leaving his large, tattooed arms bare. The belt, more so a bandolier, was slung across his left shoulder and draped over his right hip. It carried, at a quick glance, eight or so small, razor sharp knives. Black leather pants covered his lower body, and seemed tight fitting enough to eliminate the possibility of more hidden weapons.

He was bald, faded tattoos covering his skull and a once black, now graying beard hung from his chin down to his chest. His stomach, while not an overly large gut, seemed to protrude a few inches further than his wide chest. His eyes, a chestnut brown, were beady and almost black in the dim forest lighting, and seemed to be set too close together in his head as he studied the half demon facing him.

Blake cursed, reaching into her cloak and finding her dagger handy. Drawing it from her waistband, she leaped into action, throwing herself at her attacker with furious, reckless abandon.

"Weiss!" Blake yelled, sparing a single, momentary glance at her lover, "Run, please!"

Without waiting for a response, Blake turned back to the stranger in front of her. Growling loudly, Blake swung her dagger in her left hand in a wide arc, aiming for the assailant's throat. The assailant, easily a foot taller than Blake, grinned cockily at her as he leaned back out of her reach. In a flash, another thin knife was in his other hand, and he motioned for Blake to press the attack.

Ears pressing flat against her skull, Blake uttered a few choice swears as she hesitated, unsure of what to do.

"If you won't, I will." He growled, his voice a deep, guttural roar that emanated from his large, barrel chest. He took two steps toward Blake, swiftly closing the distance between them as he swung his left hand toward her, the point of his knife whistling through the air.

Blake ducked under the attack, and swiftly brought her left arm up, blocking his right that she knew was sure to follow. She winced as his large wrist collided with her forearm, and she backpedaled, retreating out of his range as she quickly reassessed her options.

To defend against someone that large would be to let him use his weight against her... so evasion was her only recourse. As for how to end the altercation...

"Try me, you gluttonous bastard." Blake hissed, crouching down and raising her dagger up in front of her. She steadied herself with her right hand on the ground, fingers scratching at the dirt.

Her enemy shrugged, a grin spreading across his face. He stepped closer, boots crunching across the leaves and twigs scattered across the path as he fearlessly approached the prone half-demon.

Blake had left her pride in the gutters of the streets of Nova, along with her first defeat in a street fight so many years ago, and as she stood to meet her attacker, she whipped her right hand forward, throwing a handful of dirt and gravel into her attacker's face. He grunted in surprise at the attack, the fistful of dirt catching him square in the face.

Catching him off guard, he stopped, reaching up to protect his face as Blake leaped forward, intent on sinking her dagger into his soft belly.

He seemed to anticipate her attack, however, and flailed his right hand blindly in front of his body. Blake tried to duck under the swinging fist, but wasn't quite quick enough. The edge of his closed fist clipped the side of her head, and he grunted in satisfaction at the feeling of contact. Bringing his left arm away from his face, he turned his red eyed, watery gaze on Blake as she collided with the ground, the impact winding her by pure chance of landing awkwardly.

Blinking dirt from his eyes, he delivered a harsh kick to her side, instantly removing any thought of clambering to her feet to continue the fight.

Another kick, and she whimpered as she felt something break, pain shooting through her right side in hot streaks.

"Fuckin' bitch." He heaved, sheathing his knife in his bandolier as he leaned down, reaching out toward her.

Blake still had her grip on her dagger, and despite the pain lancing through her body at the movement, she twisted toward him as she swung her dagger with all her might, a cry of pain forcing it's way past her lips as her blade made contact with flesh.

"Half demon filth!" He spat, pulling his hand away as hot blood dripped down his forearm and spattered onto Blake's face. She ignored it in favor of reaching up to slash at him again, her entire body screaming in protest.

"Enough of that." His deep, guttural voice tore through her as he kicked at her, the metal toe of his boot making contact once more with her broken ribs, crushing them further as Blake screamed, her hand clutching her dagger falling to the ground.

Swiftly he stepped on her wrist, pinning her hand to the ground and crushing her fingers to her dagger beneath his weight.

Kneeling down, he reached out and wrapped his meaty, sausage sized fingers around her throat. With an almost effortless grip, he crushed the air from her throat, silencing her scream as her golden eyes widened.

"You were almost pathetically easy to defeat." He muttered, reaching toward his bandolier with his free hand to withdraw a sharp, gleaming blade. Beneath him, Blake doubled her frantic thrashing in an attempt to break free from his iron grip, but she swiftly ran out of air and fell limp beneath his grasp.

He lessened his grip on her throat, and she inhaled what little precious air she could, her lungs frantically aching for any iota of oxygen she could find. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, rapidly shuttling de-oxygenated blood around her body.

"I want you conscious when I kill you." He leaned in close to Blake's pale, sweat slicked face, baring his teeth in a ferocious grin. His emotionless, dark brown eyes bore into Blake's panicked gold, reveling in her frantic discomfort.

Reaching down, he positioned the point of his knife just below Blake's sternum. Beneath him, Blake trembled uncontrollably at the inevitability of her death. Tearing her eyes away from her attacker, she looked all around for Weiss, eyes wide as she searched for any hint of silver-white hair, but all she saw were splashes of green everywhere she turned.

'Weiss must have run... '

Somewhat comforted by the thought that Weiss had escaped, Blake stopped struggling. Resigned to her fate, she had the presence of mind to think it awfully funny how, while her spirit raged on and refused to accept defeat, unwilling to simply lay down and die, the logical part of her had accepted that there was no possible recourse that would turn the tide of battle and let her live.

She really didn't want to die, but... in the end, what could she do?

She was defeated.

So easily. So sickeningly easily.

The assailant leaned down ever closer, until his face was mere inches from Blake's, the tip of his blade pressed painfully into her skin.

"The Winchesters send their regards." He growled, his foul smelling hot breath gliding over Blake's skin.

Blake's eyes widened first in surprise, then in unconcealed pain as he slowly slid the dagger into her stomach, blood squelching sickeningly in the deafening silence that had fallen in the forest.

Blake opened her mouth to cry out, but she found she couldn't utter a sound. She couldn't take a breath, and as an overwhelming, fiery pain lashed through her body, her fragmented mind tried in vain to understand the connection between the Winchester name and her impending death.

As darkness tugged at the edges of her vision, blurring her sight and slurring her thoughts, she wondered if death would be much kinder to her than life had been.

With the last bit of her consciousness, she vowed to herself to wait, for all of eternity if she must, for Weiss to meet her at the crossroads to the afterlife.


	3. First Meeting

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Three

* * *

Author's Note: I have nine chapters written so far, and I am currently working on the tenth. I'll admit, this story starts a bit slow, but it does pick up. Reviews are appreciated, let me know what you think. I'll have the rest of the written chapters uploaded as soon as they make it through final editing and spell check. Once I get caught up to my most currently written chapter, I'm going to try to update every Monday night on a weekly basis.

* * *

"God, why does it have to be so hot?" Yang whined to nobody in particular. Mostly because there was no one around, she reflected internally as she reached up to push her damp hair back out of her face. The sun had begun its descent a few hours ago, curving a long arc down from the zenith. In an hour or two, she would notice the temperature begin to fall, and glancing to the north, she saw an endless expanse of flat, low lying cloud cover that seemed to be taking its time approaching. If that managed to pick up any sort of speed, she could have relief from the heat much sooner than waiting for sunset.

Wet dark strands of blonde hair clung to her forehead, small droplets of sweat tickling her skin as they rolled down her temple. Reaching up with both hands this time, Yang raked her fingers through her hair, peeling it all back from her forehead in a chaotic, high piled lion's mane of messiness. Pulling it over her right shoulder in an attempt to keep it out of her face, a cool breeze kicked up on cue and made short work of that idea.

Cursing softly to herself as she plucked an errant strand from between her dry lips, she liberated an elastic band from around her wrist and swiftly gathered her hair up, tying it back into a high ponytail.

"Time for a water break, I suppose."

Yang noted with a wry smile that talking to herself was never something she actively, consciously did before setting out on this trip. An outgoing person with many friends back home, she was almost never without someone to talk to, and being the center of attention had never bothered her in the slightest.

Now, she thought, twisting the cap off her water bottle, out here by herself, she was dying for someone to talk to. She had resorted to making conversation with herself, but she could only provide so much feedback.

Tilting the bottle up a lot higher than she would have liked, she was somewhat comforted by the fact that she would make it to Nova tonight, giving her an opportunity to replenish her supplies. Despite her endless appetite, a bit of hunger never bothered her, but in her mind, she could feel herself becoming dehydrated within mere hours of her last drink of water.

Lost in thought, she took another sip from her water bottle as she glanced up from the worn dirt path she was ambling along, and the sight of a treeline in the distance caused a spike of adrenaline to lance through her body. It would only be a few more hours until she made it to town, and the thought of a nice, quiet inn and a cool bath made her skin itch in anticipation, and she bit her bottom lip to contain her excitement as she quickened her pace. As her steps grew more swift, she cast her gaze to the setting sun and familiar words passed unbidden from her lips.

"All we can do is do our best."

* * *

The sun had fallen behind the treeline when the terrain switched from brown dirt and farm fields to trees reaching up toward the sky with long, grasping branches, and although the sun was hidden from view, the rays still managed to somewhat penetrate the forest. The dying red rays lent everything a reddish orange hue, a beautifully saturated landscape that almost seemed otherworldly at this time of evening.

Yang slowed her pace as she passed a crudely constructed sign pointing in the direction of Nova.

She was finally here.

Leaves and fallen twigs crunched underneath her feet, a vastly different sound than the scraping of dirt she'd experienced for the last few days. It was a welcome experience. Coming to a stop, Yang tilted her head back and closed her eyes as she inhaled, focusing on picking out each individual scent as best she could in this new environment.

The smell of wet soil, sharp and acrid, was accompanied by the scent of the forest itself, the smell of the bark and leaves that combined to nearly euthanize her, relaxing her until the tension and fatigue seemed to fade from her muscles.

"This is a lot different than the rock and mountain of Solis." She murmured to herself. She felt her heartbeat pick up as she realized the unexpected benefit to embarking on this journey; the places she had been, the places she would go, they were all new to her and each one an incredible experience she was sure she would never forget.

And she hadn't seen even a tenth of the entire continent, nevermind the world.

A strange sort of energy pulsed through her as she let her mind wander, wondering if once she was done with this search for the mysterious girl, if she might simply continue travelling the world. She missed her family, to be sure, but it was nothing compared to the thrill of adventure she got when she travelled, a feeling she was swiftly becoming addicted to.

Plus, she would have no qualms about travelling home every once in a while to let her family know she was still alive.

There was just something so... so...

Yang sighed and began slowly trodding forward, all senses alight as she took in as much of the forest as she could. Her mind whirled, attempting to put a label on the feelings that raced through her like winds through a canyon.

It was a raw, powerful feeling, taking in this vast, beautiful world that she had never seen before. Everywhere she went was a new step for her, and she wondered if one day she might take a step somewhere that was new to all of them.

Her mind raced with the possibilities, her lilac eyes glazed over as she imagined the landscapes she had yet to see, the people she'd yet to meet.

Pausing once more to take in the sounds of the forest, she closed her eyes and strained her ears as best she could, intent on absorbing every sound the forest produced.

The whispers of wind caressing countless tree branches, leaves trembling in response. Creatures rustled in the foilage out of sight, and...

... Voices?

Yang opened her eyes once more, and began walking, blocking out all ambient noise and focusing on the distinctly out of place chatter of human voices.

Although, she supposed, she shouldn't think of them as too out of place. They were close to Nova, after all.

A thatch of trees up ahead blocked Yang's vision of the curving trail, and as the murmur of voices grew louder, Yang impatiently broke out into a jog. Rounding the bend in the trail, the trees seemed to curve away as if to invite her forward, and whatever she was expecting, it wasn't a group of people standing in a circle blocking the path a few meters up ahead, their heads bowed as they stared at the ground.

Yang fell out of her jog and allowed her pace to slow to a comfortable crawl. Approaching the group of people, she threw out a hearty wave as a few noticed her approach, and she grinned her widest grin.

"Howdy! What's everybody staring at? Did someone... die... ?" The poor choice of words died on her tongue as the group of people shuffled to the side, making way for her approach. As they separated, Yang caught a glimpse of a body laying on the ground, surrounded by a dark puddle of blood.

Lilac eyes shot open in surprise, disbelief distorting her features into an unrecognizable mask as she got a good view of the body.

It was a raven-haired girl, who looked to be slightly shorter than Yang herself. A black cloak covered most of her body, disguising her more prominent features, but her face and long hair were visible, and it was obvious as to what was the cause of death.

A solitary knife wound to the stomach, the blade still stuck in her gut. The handle protruded into the air proudly, as if staking a claim to its victim.

The blood was still wet on the ground, and Yang had a suspicion that the murder was very, very recent.

Suddenly a wave of nausea hit her, and Yang found herself choking back the urge to throw up. Slamming a hand to her mouth, Yang closed her eyes as she turned her back to the corpse, her stomach performing weird flip-flops as bile rose to the back of her throat unbidden.

It suddenly dawned on her that she had never seen a dead body before, much less the victim of a murder.

A murder.

The thought sent an icy chill down her back, and Yang couldn't keep her hands from trembling as she wondered if it was someone she had seen today. She had seen a few people on the path coming from the direction of Nova, so it wasn't that far-fetched an idea...

Of course, the opposite was equally terrifying. Maybe they hadn't fled out of town, and instead returned to Nova, lurking in the shadows and waiting for another young girl to make the wrong move...

Yang cursed her wild imagination, shaking her head as she tried to clear away those thoughts. She swallowed a few times, her mouth watering uncontrollably as her body prepared itself to wretch the contents of her earlier lunch all over the ground.

Yang straightened up, taking deep measured breaths through her mouth a few times in an attempt to calm her racing heart and settle her stomach.

"Are you alright, girl?"

Yang jumped a bit at the feeling of a hand on her shoulder, but when she turned to the voice that had spoken to her, she relaxed slightly as she saw an older man looking at her quizzically.

Yang took a moment to study him. He seemed frail, bent slightly at the waist and appearing shorter than Yang assumed he truly was. His hands shook, not out of fear or a negative reaction to the slaughtered girl on the ground, but simply due to age. He was tanned, with an unusual amount of dark liver spots dotting his skin, and his brown eyes held a warmth and caring that Yang had only seen previously in the people from her home town. His greying hair was whisper thin, but none the less carefully combed over, and his method of dress was very sensical and practical.

Yang used that moment of examination to make sure she wouldn't puke the moment she tried to speak, and when she was sure that the urge had passed, she nodded slightly.

"Yeah, thanks. Sorry, it's just a bit... surprising, that's all."

The elderly man folded his arms behind his back and slowly shuffled in a circle, looking back to the girl on the ground.

"Well, it's certainly an uncommon event around these parts, that's for sure."

Yang examined the girl a bit more closely as a few people turned back toward the town, intent on finding someone to deal with the body, no doubt.

"It's truly a sha-wait... " Something caught Yang's eye, a hint of movement, and Yang chanced a closer look, shuffling closer and kneeling down at the edge of the pool of blood. Focusing her gaze on the girl's chest, she watched closely, intently, for any sign of the movement she had thought she'd seen.

Yang stared for what felt like an eternity, and just when she thought she was losing her mind, or perhaps fallen victim to a trick of the light, a slight movement caught her eye once more.

"There!" Yang pointed. "Did anyone check to see if she's still alive?"

The old man shook his head, his loose jowls swaying back and forth.

"Alive?" His tone suggested Yang were insane. As Yang scrabbled closer, blood soaking into her clothes, she wondered if she might be. Still, she knew that if there were even the slightest chance, then she had to do everything she could.

She had to try. Swiftly she discarded her pack, ignoring the feeling of tepid blood soaking through her clothes and squishing against her skin.

Her fingers clawed at the bloodied girl's cloak, finding the edges and tearing them back with more force than was strictly necessary. Underneath the cloak, the girl wore a simple shirt indicative of her probable status within the community; a commoner.

Yang tore it open as well, pushing the fabric aside before pressing her ear to the girl's chest.

 _What the hell am I doing?_ The thought tore through Yang's mind before she could stop it, and she ignored the few people still around who were staring at her as if she had grown an extra head.

Maybe she really is... dead...

Yang bit her bottom lip, closing her eyes. If only she could just-

There!

It was faint, but Yang was sure she'd heard a heartbeat. Faint, but there nonetheless.

"Her heart is still beating!" Yang exclaimed. Without waiting for a response from the surrounding people who had effectively fallen into bystander mode, Yang straightened up. Tearing off her overshirt with a haste she'd never known before, she carefully wrapped it around the knife protruding from the girl's stomach before gently sliding her arms underneath the girl.

With a bit of effort, Yang worked her way to her feet, the girl safely in her arms and supported under her knees and behind her neck.

"What's the quickest way to the infirmary? Is there one in Nova?" Yang spun in place, eyes wide as she examined the few people still present.

The old man who had spoken to her earlier thrust his hand out, pointing in a direction down the path the way she had been treading before she'd happened upon the poor girl.

Yang didn't have the presence of mind to spare them thanks. Instead, she swiftly turned on her heel and began moving as quickly as she could down the path. Glancing down at the cloaked girl in her arms, she was overcome by an alien sense of duty, a desire to see this girl live despite meaning nothing to her. It was a strange feeling that she couldn't quite place, one that seemed to make less sense the more she thought about it.

Pushing those thoughts to the edges of her mind as she strode swiftly down the pathway to Nova, she clutched the girl tighter to her chest and doubled her resolve as the girl's weight slowly began to take its toll on her arms.

* * *

Yang jostled the pale faced, raven haired girl in her arms, pulling her tighter to her chest before leaning back on her left leg, lifting her right leg into the air even as her body screamed at her to cease her exertions.

Pushing open the door to the clinic with her foot, Yang turned sideways to carefully navigate the girl's body through the doorway without further injuring her. The door slammed against the wall, causing two people inside to jump and turn at the noise.

"She needs help." Yang stated, her voice strong and commanding and surprising even herself with it's authoritative tone.

The two people, a male with closely cropped black hair, and a female with shoulder length red hair, seemed frozen in place for but a moment before springing into action. The man grabbed a rolling table from alongside the wall behind the front desk and slid it over to where a weary Yang stood, breathing heavily from her exertion.

"Lay her here on the gurney." His voice was soft, soothing, and inspired a sort of trust that Yang wouldn't have immediately held for anyone else.

Carefully Yang leaned forward over the wheeled stretcher, her lower back aching in protest as she did so. Wincing in pain, Yang gently laid the girl down on the clean white sheets.

Part of her was reluctant to release the girl, but she knew it was for the best. Ever so carefully adjusting the girl's legs into a more comfortable position upon the gurney, Yang hesitantly turned over the care of the strange girl to the clinic aides, biting her lip and crossing her arms under her chest as the red haired girl approached with a handful of items.

"What can you tell us about her? Her name? Age?" The redhead rattled off swiftly as began peeling back the girl's clothes around the wound, working swiftly yet expertly with a razor sharp knife.

Yang shook her head, shifting her weight from her left leg to the right, jutting her hip out.

"No idea. I... I found her like that."

The male paused in his work, looking up at Yang with a confused expression on his face. He opened his mouth as if to question her, then seemed to think better of it, shaking his head and dropping his gaze to the girl on the gurney.

"Let's get her into a clean room and try to remove the knife."

Yang tore her gaze away from the two aides to glance down at the girl laid out unconscious in front of her. Her skin was sickeningly pale, and Yang could barely spot any movement of her chest that would indicate breathing.

It was entirely likely, Yang realized, that this girl would die despite Yang's attempt to get her to help.

Yang reached out and gently touched the girl's forehead. Pushing back her hair to better reveal her face, a thousand thoughts flashed through her mind of who this girl might be, and of the life that she might have lived.

A life that might end tonight, despite everything she'd done.

Yang blinked as she felt tears spring unbidden to her eyes, and in an instant, the gurney was being wheeled away from her. In a few seconds, it had disappeared from her sight.

Uncertainty and trepidation washed over her now as she realized that her part was done. There was nothing else she could do, no amount of effort she could put in to influence the outcome and produce a favourable result.

Now she was stuck doing the one thing she hated most, waiting helplessly.

Yang sighed as the adrenaline began wearing off, the nervous energy fading and leaving behind nothing but sore, trembling muscles.

Turning around, she glanced around the small clinic, finding a waiting room of sorts tucked into the far corner.

Making a beeline for the closest empty chair, Yang fell into it with an ungraceful 'thump!', sighing deeply once more as she tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Exhaustion flooded her limbs, leaving them heavy and unresponsive. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, her heart still hammering wildly in her chest from the difficult trek, she let the events play through her mind as she wondered if she could have done anything differently.

Her heartbeat calmed, her breathing slowed, and as thoughts of the mystery girl's well-being plagued her mind, she slowly drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

She awoke abruptly, pain erupting along her nerve endings and electrifying her senses. Eyes flying open as she gasped for air, the first thing she saw was an unfamiliar ceiling above her head.

"Weiss!" Her voice was hoarse, weak sounding when it reached her ears. Panic flooded through her, and her head whipped back and forth as she tried to make sense of where she was.

Nothing seemed familiar, and she couldn't figure out where she was. Wide golden eyes took in the stark white walls of the room she occupied, and as an unbearable pain tore through her abdomen, she tried to figure out how she got here.

What was the last thing she remembered?

Blake struggled to sit up as she reached down with a weak, trembling hand to grasp the edge of a blank white sheet that covered her waist. Peeling back the covers, she caught a glimpse of her abdomen, and froze.

It was wrapped in bandages.

Bandages that were soggy with dark red blood, drying at the edges into a flaky, mottled brown.

Cursing softly, Blake threw her head back as her strength failed her, and she fell back onto the bed.

The movement proved to be too much, however, and she ground her teeth together against a renewed wave of pain as recently stitched together flesh tore anew, hot blood spilling across her skin and soaking into the saturated bandages.

"Weiss... " She choked out a sob, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she squeezed them closed against the pain and rage writhing in the pits of her stomach.

Bits and pieces were starting to come back to her, and she felt an overwhelming furious shame burning in her chest as she realized that she had let Weiss get taken, by those bastard Winchesters, no less.

The pain in her stomach seemed to grow more fierce, and a grunt of pain escaped her. She reached down to press her palm against her stomach in a feeble attempt to stop the bleeding, but it was useless.

"Whoa, I leave for five minutes and you go and tear open your wound? What the hell?"

Blake's half demon ears pressed flat against her skull at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, burying themselves in her hair as a defense mechanism against both the onslaught of the loud voice as well as being found to be a half demon.

Her teeth creaked audibly, her fangs grinding together as she clenched her jaw closed against the pain. Cracking open one eye, she was met with the blurry image of a tall blonde woman standing on the right side of her bed.

"Who're you?" Blake asked, her voice guarded and low.

The girl shrugged, and Blake reached up with her blood-free hand to scrub at her eyes. Reopening them, she got a better look at the girl just as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I came across you on the path just north of Nova. Name's Yang. " The girl said conversationally, as if finding unconscious bodies were a regular occurrence.

"I didn't find you; that was a group of six or seven people. I just did what I could to help you."

"What did you do, exactly?" Blake reached up to rub at her face, her muddied mind somewhat thankful for the blonde distraction as it seemed to take her mind off the overwhelming pain.

Yang moved a bit closer, putting Blake on edge as every muscle in her body tensed up. Painfully.

Yang didn't notice as she reached out to pluck at the edges of the bandage around Blake's bare abdomen, increasing Blake's discomfort past her limit.

"Knock it off!" Blake hissed, reaching out and swatting at Yang's hand, her nails catching the edge of Yang's hand and lightly scratching her.

Yang jerked her hand away, eyes wide as she clutched her hand to her chest.

"Sorry." Yang said quietly, glancing down to look at the superficial scratches on the back of her left hand.

Blake glared at the girl, wincing as the torn flesh of her abdomen protested her movement.

"Where's W... " Blake trailed off, thinking for a moment. As Yang stared blankly at her, Blake tried again.

"Did you see my attacker? A large man dressed in black, possibly holding a silver-haired girl captive against her will?"

Yang shook her head immediately, and Blake sighed.

"Are you sure?" Blake asked.

Yang shrugged. "Something like that, I would have seen. I would've remembered. Sorry."

Blake was silent for a moment. She glanced down at her stomach, then looked back up at Yang.

"Are you a doctor here?"

Yang shook her head again. "Nope."

Blake lifted her left hand from her stomach, the blood that had seeped through the bandages staining her skin.

"I don't have any money." Blake warned. "Whatever you're hanging around for, some type of reward maybe, I don't have anything to give you."

Yang tilted her head to the side, a quizzical expression forming on her face as her pony-tailed hair tickled the back of her neck.

"A reward?"

Blake glanced up at Yang, her face set in a scowl and distrust clear upon her features.

"Why else would you be hanging around?"

Yang took a step closer to the bed in response, prompting Blake to tense up again, raising her hands in warning as she glared at Yang.

Yang smiled, raising her hands up non-threateningly.

"I'm not looking for a reward. I saw you hurt, and had to help. That's it. You're still not okay, so if you'd just relax, I can get you the help you need."

For what seemed like minutes they stared at each other, neither making the first move. It was only a matter of seconds, however, before a stab of pain made Blake rethink her approach to the strange blonde.

Slowly lowering her hands, Blake kept her gaze trained on the blonde as she slowly closed the remaining few steps between them.

"This might hurt a little, but it's for the best. You really shouldn't have moved around like that. You've probably undone a lot of work that the aides had done."

Blake said nothing as Yang reached out toward her stomach, gingerly peeling back the blood soaked bandages that limply clung to her skin.

"It's impressive that you're even alive." Yang said conversationally, biting her lip in sympathy as a bit of bandage tugged on a patch of ragged skin near the knife wound. Blake bit back a snarl of pain, instead choosing to clench her fists as tightly as she could, fighting the instinct to swing at the girl who was irritating her injury.

"Most people wouldn't survive such an injury."

Blake shrugged, unwilling to divulge any information about herself that wasn't completely necessary.

"Must've gotten lucky." She replied, reaching up to run her hand through her hair, surreptitiously making sure her half demon ears were well hidden.

Yang hummed appreciatively, a small smirk ghosting over her lips.

"Must've." She copied.

Blake sighed softly, deciding to ignore the girl in favour of leaning back and closing her eyes. Instantly she was assaulted with visions of Weiss.

Her heart ached with the absence of Weiss, a feeling of uncontrollable despair threatening to envelop her completely.

Why would the Winchesters do something like this?

Even as she asked herself the question, she knew that anyone with even the slightest bit of knowledge regarding the history of Nova would immediately know why.

Revenge.

Whether Weiss had been taken alive or not, Blake didn't know. But until she had seen Weiss' body with her own eyes, she wasn't going to give up hope. She would tread to the ends of the earth in search of her girlfriend, no matter what the odds.

Blake twitched uncontrollably as Yang tugged at her skin to remove the last stuck on bandage.

"Yeah, you've definitely torn the stitches out. It's gonna have to be redone." Yang clucked her tongue sympathetically. She looked at Blake, who had opened her eyes at the sound of Yang's voice.

Blake nodded wordlessly.

"Whatever it takes."

Yang smirked at her.

"I'll go get the doctor."

With that, the blonde disappeared as swiftly as she'd appeared, leaving Blake alone with her thoughts.

Blake tilted her head to look out the window to her right, a glare on the window keeping her sharp eyes from penetrating the inky blackness of the night.

Trapped here in this clinic with a debilitating injury, she knew she'd have plenty of time to think.

And right now, there was only one thing she could think of.

She needed to recover, and she needed to get out of here. Then she needed to find a sword.

Then she needed to find that bastard that had taken Weiss, and nearly taken her life.

She needed to make him pay, and vengeance would be her name.


	4. Anticipation

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Four

* * *

It had been a long, uncomfortable four days waiting for her wound to heal. Uncomfortable not due to the pain, although that was certainly ever present; uncomfortable because Blake felt like she had to do something.

It was driving her mad, sitting in the same old bed, and she could feel her muscles seizing up from disuse. Yang had dropped by every so often, not saying much about what she had been up to, but from what Blake could gather, she was spending her time in town looking for something. What that was, Yang wouldn't elaborate, and Blake normally wouldn't have cared, if it weren't for the fact that it was the only interesting stimulation she got while bedridden.

Yang brought a small ball on the second day, and they made small talk while tossing it back and forth. Yang had initially been hesitant at first, yet Blake lied easily, saying that the motions of throwing and catching the ball didn't antagonize her injury.

In truth, Blake used her core to stabilize her body during nearly every movement she made, and deriving power from her core while twisting her upper body was second nature to throwing any sort of item, regardless if it was a lazy toss across the room or not. Instead, she had chosen a sort of awkward overhead throw that didn't rely on her stomach muscles as much.

They had talked mostly about Yang, as Blake tried to suppress reliving any detail about Weiss' theorized abduction. At least, she hoped with all of her might that it was an abduction; that meant that there was a chance she was still alive, and Blake could find her.

Blake had swiftly absorbed Yang's story, learning about her hometown and her family. The only child to a mine supervisor, she had swiftly realized that the small town life was not for her. Striking out on her own, she sought to survey the world and see for herself what life was all about.

Whether as a result of boredom, or the painkilling drugs they forced down her throat, Blake found herself resonating deeply with Yang and that desire. Herself a child of Nova, she'd been here her whole life. With no opportunity to go out and explore the world, she'd settled for hearing tales of the great unknown from the talkative characters that wandered into the bookstore that she'd gotten a job at.

While tossing the small soft reddish orange ball back and forth, Yang had gotten onto the topic of Blake being holed up for four days, and if anyone would miss her.

Blake reluctantly revealed to Yang that she had no parents to speak of that would miss her, and that the only person who would notice was Sun, her friend at the bookstore. Yang had offered to pass along a message, and after a moment's hesitation, Blake agreed.

That had resulted in Sun coming to visit her, and bringing with him a few books for Blake to read. With nothing else to do, she had devoured them, and now they sat on her bedside table, patiently waiting to be returned.

Which would be happening today.

A shiver tore through her, excitement spiking through her at the thought of being released today.

Blake slowly pushed back the soft white linens covering her lower body, her shoulders clicking and painfully protesting the lack of movement over the last few days.

Carefully sliding her feet over the edge of the bed, she pushed herself up into a seating position, raising one hand to her head as blood pounded painfully in her skull.

"I have got to get moving again." She muttered to herself, flexing her toes and rotating her socked feet around in circles to warm up her ankles.

"Unfortunately, you'll have to take it slowly, otherwise you'll do more harm than good."

A now familiar voice reached her ears, and she looked up to see Yang leaning against the doorframe. The girl sported her trademark smirk, looking thoroughly pleased with herself for no discernable reason.

"Why are you here?"

Yang, now accustomed to Blake's short disposition, merely shrugged.

"You didn't think I'd let you get released on your own, did you? Besides, I told you yesterday that I'd be back to see you."

Blake said nothing, looking away from the perky blonde and turning her gaze to the window.

"I thought I told you not to bother."

Yang chuckled, pushing off the door frame to move closer to Blake.

"Lots of people tell me not to bother with lots of stuff." Yang replied lightly. Reaching out, she extended her hand to Blake.

"Are you ready?"

Blake looked at the offered hand for a moment, and took a deep breath. In reality, her stomach was a tight knot of nerves, and her legs felt like they couldn't support even half of her.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose." Blake said, reluctantly taking Yang's hand.

Yang moved closer and offered her support as Blake pushed off the bed, her feet making contact with the floor for the first time in nearly a week. She swayed unsteadily on her feet, and watched from the corner of her eye as Yang bit her lip, torn between wanting to help, and respecting Blake's obvious desire to do things herself.

Blake gripped the edge of the bed as she got accustomed to standing upright, putting a new kind of tension on the healing skin around the knife wound. It was one of the few things she had noticed about Yang, the girl was extremely perceptive. Blake had to appreciate Yang allowing her to do as much as she could by herself, while still being there for the things she couldn't.

As those thoughts danced through her head, her legs became a bit more comfortable with the pressure she was putting on them, and she straightened up to her full height, about four or five inches shorter than Yang herself, from what Blake could gather standing next to her.

"Are you sure you're ready to leave today? No one would fault you for taking an extra day or two." Yang thought she was being reassuring, but the words were a reminder of just how much time Blake had already wasted.

Golden eyes darkening, her lips pressed into a thin, firm line.

"It's been four days too many already." Blake said quietly, slowly shuffling forward. Her hand tightened around Yang's and Yang stuck close to her in case she lost her balance.

"Every day I falter, Weiss grows further from my grasp."

Yang nodded distractedly, watching Blake's features contort into expressions of pain and discomfort.

"True, true, " Yang said, falling in step beside her, "But how useful do you think you'll be to her in this condition?"

Blake sighed heavily, casting a heavy look at Yang.

"I thought you were here to be supportive?"

Yang couldn't contain a chuckle, shaking her head at the bedraggled girl.

"I am, but I'm also a realist."

Blake said nothing as she pushed through the doorway, her muscles reluctant to do much more than fight her every desire.

"Where will you go now?" Yang asked, following her and still holding her hand tightly.

Blake reached up with her free hand to press it over her stomach, her eyebrows furrowing over narrowed golden orbs.

"I have a place not far from the bookstore. On Wyndham. I'll rest for the remainder of the day while I plan out my next move."

Yang mentally filed that information away, knowing loosely where it was from her exploration of the town over the last few days.

"I see." Was all the blonde offered.

"It's not ideal, but I have to admit that you're right." Blake spoke quietly, her pace increasing slightly as the stiffness began to relinquish its hold on her muscles. "I'm in no shape to do Weiss any good right now."

Yang hummed appreciatively, slightly increasing her pace to match Blake's.

Approaching the front desk of the clinic, Yang made sure Blake could stand on her own before releasing her grip on the girl's hand, instead leaning forward to place her elbows on the desk.

"Blake's ready to go home now." Yang tilted her head toward the raven-haired girl, getting a curious look and a raised eyebrow from the girl sitting at the desk there.

"Against the recommendation of both the aides?" The girl asked, her tone even.

Yang shrugged.

"I'm aware of the consequences." Blake spoke up, wincing slightly as she grabbed the desk to keep herself steady.

The girl hesitated a moment, then shrugged.

"Very well. We're a free aide clinic, not a prison. We can't keep you here if you don't want to be here." The girl shuffled around a few papers, glancing at a few before looking up at Yang.

"You're the only contact we have here for Blake, aside from someone named... " The girl glanced back down at the papers.

"... Sun. He was only here once. I assume you're going to be looking after her for a few days?"

Yang glanced to Blake, then back to the girl, uncertainty shining clear in her lilac eyes.

"Uh, yeah. Sure. For a while."

"Good. Make sure to change her bandages every night, or more frequently if they bleed through. Clean the area with soap and water, and if you're skilled, you can remove the stitches yourself in a week or two, or come back to us and we'll pull them out for you."

Beside Yang, Blake was silently seething. She was more than capable of changing her own bandages, yet here she was being dealt with like a child. It was mildly infuriating, to say the least.

Just when Blake was about to speak up, the girl turned to face her.

"And you... " Blake hesitated, unsure of what to expect.

"You make sure to take care of yourself from now on. We hope we don't have to see you again."

Blake nodded dumbly, and the girl grinned at her.

"Alright! Well, the two of you be safe, and come see us if you need help with the bandaging or cleaning. Otherwise, I think you two should be fine."

Yang waved, turning her back on the desk and glancing sideways at Blake. She reached toward Blake, holding her palm up enticingly.

"Shall we?"

Blake looked to Yang with uncertainty flashing in her eyes, but Yang merely raised an eyebrow, silently questioning her hesitation.

Relenting, Blake took Yang's hand and leaned her weight on the blonde. It made the pain a little more bearable, dulling it down to a mere background noise as she followed Yang out into the sunlight.

As the clinic door swung closed behind them on less than silent hinges, Blake raised a hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the harsh glare as her pupils dilated down to thin black slits, barely visible in a sea of molten gold.

"How are you feeling, overall?" Yang asked conversationally, turning in the direction of what she was fairly sure was Blake's house. Blake followed her movements without resistance or complaint, so Yang assumed she was correct.

"Stiff. Sore. I need a bath and I need to get moving to loosen up my muscles."

Despite her words, however, Yang noticed as she watched the girl from the edge of her vision that Blake seemed to be working every step, consciously putting effort into either not falling over or not showing pain.

"You've done lots of moving so far and I'm not sure it's helping yet." Yang commented.

Blake grimaced. "I have to do something."

Yang nodded slowly, making sure to match her pace to Blake's.

"Of course. All in due time, however."

Blake sighed, but said nothing in return.

Silence filled the air between them, and Yang carefully navigated them through the streets, turning her face up toward the sun to catch the warm rays it offered.

"Summer seems much more mild here compared to where I'm from." Yang readjusted her grip on Blake's hand.

Blake leaned on her a bit more as they stepped up onto a raised wooden curb.

"You should try our winters." Blake replied after a moment. "'Mild' will not be a word that comes to mind when trying to describe it."

Yang chuckled.

"I'm sure I-" Yang was cut off when Blake stumbled a bit, tugging on Yang's arm. Yang was quick to react, however, grabbing Blake with her free hand and gently pulling her to her feet.

"Blake! Are you okay?"

Blake nodded, her gaze downcast as embarrassment darkened her cheeks.

"Y-yeah, just... got a bit weak there for a minute. I'm fine."

Yang stared at her worriedly, not believing for a second that she was as fine as she had claimed.

"I'm not buying it." Yang replied softly, still holding Blake with both hands. The prolonged contact began to make Blake uncomfortable.

"Well I am." Blake said shortly, twisting away from Yang and attempting to pull out of her grip. Yang let her go, and Blake stumbled a few steps away, clutching at her stomach and leaning against a nearby shop wall for support.

"I have to admit, your stubbornness will probably come in handy on your adventure to rescue your friend." Yang said conversationally, crossing her arms under her chest and shifting her weight to her right leg as she stared at Blake.

"Or get you killed. It's a toss up, really."

With her back to Yang, Blake looked over her left shoulder to shoot a dirty look at her. Yang merely grinned in response.

"You're very irritating." Blake said quietly.

Yang reached up to run her hands through her hair, hooking her fingers into makeshift claws and combing out a few tangles.

"So I've been told." Yang replied airily. "Although, if you were half as strong as your ego, we'd be at your house already and I could get out of your hair."

Blake turned so that her back was against the wall, and she leaned on it for support as she crossed her arms under her chest, mirroring Yang's previous pose.

"No one said you had to help me. I can get home just fine on my own. I don't need you."

Yang shrugged, picking a stray hair off the fabric of her shirt.

"Where I come from, people say 'thank you' for receiving assistance."

"Where I come from, we don't meddle in other people's affairs." Blake retorted, her face becoming red with her flaring anger.

Yang held her hands up innocently. "But you needed help!"

"I don't need help!" Blake yelled. Yang took a step back, surprised at the outburst. Lilac eyes laden with concern studied the enraged girl carefully.

"I don't need help." Blake repeated a bit softer now, her voice cracking. "I need... I need Weiss."

"Blake... "

Blake shook her head, despair distorting her features as tears began slipping down her face. Unable to keep herself supported any longer, she slid down the wall until she was sitting on the ground, the awkward angle putting pressure on her wounded stomach but too upset to care.

With no regard for the people casting them quizzical looks as they passed by on the walkway, Yang stepped toward Blake and crouched down in front of her. Gently she laid her hand on Blake's shoulder, whispering her name over and over as soothingly as she could.

"Everything will be fine in time, Blake." Yang said softly. This only caused Blake's sobs to strengthen, and Yang felt her heart aching as she reached out to pull the girl to her shoulder. With no energy left to spend on resisting, Blake allowed herself to be pulled into Yang's arms, burying her face in Yang's shoulder as her tears soaked into the fabric of her shirt.

Gently caressing the back of Blake's head, Yang whispered sweet nothings as gently as she could, seeking to comfort her in any way possible.

Yang didn't know what it was like to lose a loved one, and very nearly her life, and she dearly hoped she would never have to find out.

* * *

It was some time later when Yang found the house Blake had described to her. It was much less a house, and moreso a partition, a house split down the middle with a wall to split it into two separate domiciles.

Blake's was the one on the left, apparently.

Cradling the unconscious girl in her arms, Yang was careful to not disturb her slumber as she mounted the three questionably constructed steps leading to the two front doors. Choosing the one on the left, she tucked Blake more securely against her chest as her left hand, cupping Blake's shoulder, maneuvered to produce a silver key she'd been clutching. With a bit of contortion, she managed to crouch down enough to insert the key and give it a rough turn. The door creaked open much louder than she would have preferred, but it didn't wake the girl in her arms.

Glancing down at Blake's tear stained sleeping face, Yang felt an unfamiliar tugging in her chest. Deciding to write it off as consequence of the events of the last week, Yang moved through the unfamiliar house as quietly as possible. The front door had opened into the kitchen, and at the back of the house appeared to be an entrance way to some sort of living area.

Carefully sliding sideways through the doorway so as to not disturb Blake, Yang spotted a grey couch against the closest wall. With her target chosen Yang padded over softly to it, leaning down and ever so carefully laying the girl out on the couch. At the loss of warmth Blake mewled pitifully, curling in on herself as her facial expressions twisted into one of pain.

"Ahh, blankets... ?"

Mumbling to herself, Yang glanced around the room. There was nothing immediately visible in the living room, but she glimpsed a hallway at the far end. Perhaps she would find Blake's bedroom, and there, a blanket or sheet of sorts.

Padding down the hall, it occurred to Yang that the house barely seemed lived in. Her own home in Solis was decorated in portraits and paintings, potted plants and many other signs of happy occupants, her father had made sure of that.

Blake's house however was despairingly bare, as if she tried to avoid being here as much as possible.

The house itself wasn't overly well constructed, Yang had noticed as well. The outside was in a sorry state of disrepair, and whether Blake owned or merely rented, it was obvious that the owner didn't care at all about the property.

It was kind of run down, and if Yang was being honest with herself, it made Blake appear... poor.

Maybe she was. She had mentioned a part time job at a book store, but really, how well did that pay?

Putting those thoughts out of her head, Yang slowly twisted the knob of the door she came to. Pushing open the door cautiously as if she might startle another occupant, Yang stuck her head in and looked around.

It was silly to be so cautious, Yang realized, glancing about the room. Blake had mentioned that she lived alone.

Spotting a solitary bed accompanied by one night table in the middle of the room, Yang pushed the door open fully and stepped inside.

"Aha!" Yang grinned in triumph, noting two meticulously folded grey and green knit blankets at the foot of the bed. Striding over, she snatched them up, tucking them under her arm. With her thoughts turning to Blake, she spun on her heel, intent on leaving without messing anything up.

However, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye, and she moved toward the bedside table to inspect it. The wooden floor creaked gently underfoot as she slowly trod toward it, and when she reached out to pick up the small item, she realized what it was.

A portrait of a girl - no, a woman, Yang realized- with long, immaculate white hair. Her skin was flawless, the only roughness in the brush strokes themselves. Her eyes seemed an unnatural blue, staring straight ahead with a determined, yet refined look upon her face. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap, and she wore a shimmering dress of the whitest fabric.

In short, she was gorgeous, and Yang knew that the painted portrait probably didn't do her justice.

"So this is the fabled Weiss." Yang breathed quietly. Intently she studied the picture for a moment more, taking in every detail about the girl that Blake was so taken with.

Realistically, it wasn't hard to see why.

"Oh! Blake!" Lilac eyes widened as she remembered the small, shivering form of her new acquaintance, and Yang set the portrait down carefully before dashing back to the living room, her new found blankets in tow.

"Don't worry Blake, I've got just the thing for ya." Yang muttered. Dropping one blanket on the floor, she unfolded the first one, flicking it out to remove any folds or creases before gently draping it over Blake's curled up body. Taking care to tuck it in on both sides, Yang bent over to grab the other. Repeating the motion, Yang made sure the blankets were securely tucked around Blake's feet before stepping back to admire her handiwork.

Although, now that she knew where the bedroom was, it seemed kind of pointless to leave her on the couch...

Biting her lip, Yang hesitated a moment before stepping closer, bending over and reaching out-

No. Yang paused again, before stepping back and straightening up. It would be doubly foolish to risk waking her by trying to move her.

Nodding to herself and satisfied she had taken the correct course of action, Yang was about to sit on the edge of the couch and relax for a moment when a particular thought struck her.

"Her books!" Yang straightened up, reaching up to scratch the tip of her nose. Blake had left her books at the clinic, on the bedside table. She had mentioned wanting to return them soon.

Sparing a single glance down at the sleeping girl, Yang smiled at the sight of her now peaceful expression, devoid of rage or pain.

"I won't be long, Blake. Sleep well." Yang spoke gently, moving back toward the front door. The key was still stuck in the lock she noted, which was rather convenient as she closed the door behind her. Ensuring the door was securely locked, she slipped the key into her pocket and turned to face the setting sun.

She'd been spending all week trying to rationalize all the work she had been putting into helping this poor stranger, and come up blank. Now, as she began walking back toward the hospital, she still didn't have an answer, but found that she also really didn't mind.

It wasn't like she had anything better to do.

* * *

Her mind awoke quickly, snapping into consciousness and demanding to be set free. Her body, however, was a bit slower. She was warm, that much she could tell, and not at all uncomfortable. Her stomach hurt, a constant pain that seemed to be a leading theme in her life as of late.

Her ears twitched underneath her hair as the sound of muted taps and rattles reached her, and confusion rapidly set in. She tried to identify the noise, but nothing about her surroundings made any sense. Impatiently, she tried to wade through the murky fog that was impeding her senses.

She was wrapped in a blanket, and at some point it had gotten over her face. With as little movement as strictly necessary, Blake reached up to pull it off her face. Doing so revealed very little light aside from the ambient lighting from the moon that shone in through her window, and she realized with a start that she was in her living room.

Her mind tried to play catch up with the information her muddied senses were feeding her, and she tentatively sniffed the air.

She could smell the familiar scent of her home, but much more powerfully, she could smell food.

Her stomach rumbled painfully at the thought, but a different kind of pain than the one she was used to.

So she was home.

Turning that thought over in her mind, she inspected it carefully. How did she get here?

Sifting through her memories, she looked back at what she remembered. Leaving the hospital. Yang annoying her to no end with her attitude. Her breakdown, thoughts of Weiss filling her thoughts.

Her heart grew heavy at the thought of Weiss, and she pushed those thoughts aside for fear of becoming too demoralized to do anything about it.

What else did she remember?

Yang holding her tightly. Stroking her head.

Blake slowly sat up, one hand automatically finding her stomach where soft bandages still clung to her healing wound.

Being mentally and physically exhausted. Too exhausted to protest when Yang carefully scooped her up in strong, capable arms, pulling her close to her chest and insisting that she shut up and relax.

Blake had pulled her key from her pocket at Yang's insistence, giving to the blonde before closing her eyes as wave after wave of exhaustion stole over her.

Then, nothing.

Waking up here.

Blake inhaled deeply, tilting her head back as she yawned. Fighting off tears from the corners of her eyes, she shook her head as she pushed herself to her feet.

Wavering unsteadily for a moment, she fought off a wave of lightheadedness. When it passed a moment later she made her way toward the kitchen on silent feet. Following her nose and her ears, she stopped at the doorway to lean against it for a moment. Peering into the kitchen, her eyebrows rose curiously at the sight she saw.

Yang, with her back to Blake, was moving around the small kitchen with a dainty fluidity that belied her tall stature. On the small kitchen table sat two plates, and a pile of hot food in various pots and trays clumped together in the middle of the table.

A quick sniff of the air told Blake everything she wanted to know about what food was on the table before she could even look at it, so she settled for looking at Yang.

The girl had her long blonde hair tied back in a high ponytail, and had obviously scrounged up one of Blake's old aprons. The apron was a tad - okay, a lot, Blake realized, as Yang half turned to present Blake with a glimpse of her profile - small, the fabric straining to envelop Yang's large chest.

A small flare of annoyance at how quickly Yang had appropriated her things was swiftly smothered by a genuine appreciation for the caring girl, and Blake felt her eyelids drooping as she relaxed against the door frame, watching the girl bustle around the kitchen.

She had almost drifted off into a stupor when Yang finally noticed her, her initial surprise fading quickly into a happy grin.

"Blake! I'm glad you're awake and moving around on your own. How are you feeling?"

Jolting back into alertness at the sound of her voice, Blake shrugged as she looked away from Yang. She tried to appear as if she hadn't been staring, but she knew she'd been caught.

"I feel a little better." She allowed, carefully choosing her words.

Yang smiled as she dropped a few dirty dishes into Blake's sink.

"I'm glad. I hope you don't mind me taking a few liberties with your kitchen; I figured you'd be hungry when you woke up and too weak to cook anything meaningful."

Blake shrugged, the very picture of indifference. Opening her mouth to reply, she was cut off as a loud gurgle permeated the air.

Yang giggled quietly, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

"I... er- I might be a bit hungry."

Yang gestured to the table.

"Please, help yourself. It's all ready, I was just cleaning up. I was hoping you'd wake up on your own, I really didn't want to disturb you."

Blake cautiously moved over toward the table, eyes falling to the assortment of food for the first time as she really took it all in.

It was immediately obvious that Yang had been to the market. She didn't have a single one of these things in her house, so none of it had been prepared using food she'd already had.

Blake examined a few slices of fresh bread sitting next to a delicious looking plate of fish. A bowl of steaming hot mashed potatoes sat behind the fish, and that was enough to make Blake's mouth water painfully.

Even the bowl of mixed vegetables, which she wasn't really too fond of, seemed more appealing than usual.

"I don't really know what you like, to be honest, so I grabbed a bit of everything. Those vegetables are the only thing in season right now, so they're the best I could do, I'm afraid."

Blake raised an eyebrow in surprise, tearing her gaze away from the food to study Yang.

"It all looks delicious. But, uh... I didn't have any of this. Where... ?"

Sensing the question Blake was trying to ask, Yang discarded the dish towel, trading it for a pitcher of water. Moving toward the table, she set it down carefully before pulling out her seat.

"I had to go shopping anyway, to replace some stuff I lost, so it's not a big deal." Yang waved her off.

Something about the way she said that triggered a recent memory in Blake's mind, and as she turned to Yang to question her about it, she noticed the girl stiffen up, as if she had just realized what she had said.

"Stuff you lost?" Blake asked carefully. "Does that have anything to do with that thing you said you were searching for all week, but wouldn't tell me what it was?"

Yang shifted uncomfortably in her seat, glancing side to side as she looked for something to distract herself with. An idea seemed to form in her mind, and she grabbed a wooden spoon. Leaning forward, she jammed it into the bowl of potatoes, scooping up a large portion and popping it into her mouth.

"Sowwy Blake, I dunno what you- " Lilac eyes widened in pain, and suddenly Yang was fanning at her mouth.

"Ahh! AHH! HOT!"

Blake stared dumbfounded as Yang realized she had just shoved a spoonful of very hot mashed potatoes into her mouth, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she looked around for something to quench the heat.

Blake sighed tiredly, reaching up to rub at her face.

"The water is right in front of you, Yang." Blake said softly. Yang stopped flailing, reaching out for the pitcher of water and picking it up. Raising it to her lips, she took big gulps, only stopping when a coughing fit overcame her, forcing her to set the water pitcher down and push it away.

Taking a moment to collect herself, Yang wiped at her mouth before clearing her throat. Wiping the unshed tears from her eyes, Yang carefully composed herself before looking at Blake.

Blake stared back wordlessly, unsure what to make of the girl sitting across from her.

"Careful with the potatoes." Yang finally spoke.

"They're hot?" Blake guessed.

Yang nodded slowly, licking her bottom lip.

"Very much so, yes."

Blake shook her head, picking up her plate and moving toward the piles of food in the middle of her table.

"So what was the thing you were looking for?" Blake tried again, a genuine curiosity overpowering the rational part of her that knew Yang was hesitant to discuss.

Yang shrugged.

"Nothing really, like I said. When I found you in the forest, I ditched my back pack to make it easier to treat you. When it became apparent that you needed immediate medical attention, I took off with you. Aaaand left my pack lying on the ground."

Blake's cheeks darkened with embarrassment. "Oh."

Yang nodded. "When I went back there the next day, it was gone. So I searched around town trying to find it or anyone who might know what happened to it. Someone pinched it, and got all my travelling gear and cooking supplies."

Blake stared at her food, unsure of what to say.

"I'm... sorry."

Yang glanced up at her, confusion turning to a half smile.

"Don't be. Joke's on them anyway. All my gear was starting to get pretty worn out, and they didn't get anything valuable. That stuff is pretty well hidden."

Blake raised an eyebrow, her curiosity aroused, before she caught the teasing tone in Yang's voice and decided that it would be better if she didn't know.

So she didn't ask.

As the moon rose high into the sky outside, Blake found herself enjoying her supper, and enjoying the company of the blonde along with it.


	5. One Good Reason

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Five

* * *

The sun was moments away from rising when Blake awoke the next morning. The grey skies were dimly lit by scattered light from a sun not yet risen over the horizon, but that didn't stop Blake from awakening with an incessant feeling that the day was already slipping away.

Gripping the edge of her blanket, she slowly pulled it back as she sat up. A mighty yawn halted her movements and she paused to stretch out her limbs, mindful of the lingering pain in her abdomen.

It was much less now, but still a reason for concern. Infection was still possible at this stage, and Yang was concerned about too much movement irritating her stitches.

Speaking of Yang...

Blake pushed herself up off the bed and approached her door. Grabbing an oversized shirt, she pulled it on before padding bare foot and bare legged out into the hallway.

Yang had mentioned last night that she had secured a room at an inn for her short duration in Nova, but when she mentioned where she was staying, Blake had waved her off.

The inn was on the other side of town, and it had been late. Letting Yang walk home alone at that hour, barely aquainted with the steets would be a recipe for disaster. So Blake had offered Yang to stay the night. At first Blake had offered Yang her bed, but Yang insisted that the couch was no place for a recovering woman. The mere thought of trying to curl up on the couch for a full night's sleep had her wincing internally, and she agreed. Bringing down a large pile of spare blankets, Blake had attempted to make the couch as comfortable as possible for Yang.

Stepping into the living room, Blake paused a moment as she processed what she was seeing.

All of the blankets had wound up on the floor and the tall blonde had relegated herself to an... interesting sleeping position.

With her head and shoulders hanging off the foot of the couch, nearly touching the floor, her left leg was thrown up on the back of the couch, foot hooked around the edge to hold herself in place. Her right leg was propped up on the opposite arm, and her hands were stretched out above her head as if someone were attempting to rob her.

Despite knowing that the couch would have done her abdomen no favours, she felt a twinge of guilt at not trying a bit harder to get Yang to accept her bed. The girl was the taller of the two, afterall.

Padding over softly to the blonde, Blake bent down and gently tapped Yang's shoulder.

" _Yang, get up._ " Blake whispered softly.

In return for her efforts, she received no response.

Trying again, she tapped the blonde a bit harder.

" _Yang!_ " The whisper was louder this time, not enough to be jarring, but enough to rouse the girl from her sleep. Yang squeezed her eyes closed for a moment, before opening them slowly. Blake watched in mild amusement as the blonde looked all about the room, no doubt slightly perplexed by her inverted view of the world, before they settled squarely on Blake.

Blake stared back, one eyebrow rising curiously.

"Morning Blake!" Yang greeted, far too chipper for having just woken up. Blake rolled her eyes and straightened up, sighing.

"Morning Yang."

Yang stretched languidly, yawning mightily as she let herself slide off the couch onto the floor. From there she reached out over her head, making a grab at Blake's ankles.

Stepping back out of reach, Blake had to curb the strong initial reaction to kick at Yang's hands.

"What. Are you doing?"

Yang pulled her legs up, then pushed herself along the floor in Blake's direction, reaching out and making grabbing motions at Blake's ankles.

Sighing in exasperation, Blake turned on her heel and headed toward the kitchen.

"You wouldn't know what to do with me even if you caught me." Blake said, dismissively. "Now come on, I'll make breakfast this time."

Yang laughed, rolling over onto her stomach and pushing herself up onto her feet.

"What's for breakfast?" Yang asked, reaching up to run her fingers through her wild mane of messy golden hair.

Blake glanced over her shoulder at the girl trailing at her heels.

"What do you want?"

Yang shrugged. "I'm not picky."

Blake sauntered over to the cupboards above her sink and pulled them open.

"How about-" Blake paused when she realized that aside from the food Yang bought last night, her cupboards were empty.

Yang leaned against the counter, a smirk forming on her face.

"How about we go out somewhere to eat?" Yang asked.

Blake slowly closed her cupboards, nodding as she turned around.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. Let me just go put on some real clothes."

* * *

Blake watched with a sort of morbid fascination as Yang shoveled dish after dish of pancakes and fruit into her mouth, seemingly no end to her appetite. The blonde had jumped at the opportunity to take advantage of the endless pancakes for ten copper pieces special, and while Blake had long ago folded after merely three, Yang was showing no signs of stopping.

"Where... where are you putting it all?" Blake's voice was a mixture of amazement and disgust, her nose crinkling up ever so cutely.

Yang set her fork down and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, leaning back in her seat as she regarded Blake with sharp lilac eyes. She contemplated her response as she slowly chewed for a moment, savouring the taste of fresh strawberries.

"Well Blake, " Yang began, "There are some things in life you need to take advantage of. All-you-can-eats are one of them."

Blake hummed softly as she ran her finger around the edge of her empty plate.

"And the others?"

Yang half shrugged, her left shoulder lazily rising and falling.

"Men buying you drinks in the taverns. I'll take advantage of that for as long as I can!"

"I see."

Yang nodded as she reached for her cup of water, her blonde hair falling over her left shoulder in a cascade of gold.

"So, when do we leave to go get your friend back?" Yang asked, raising the cup to her lips and taking a drink.

"We?" Taken by surprise, her response was a bit sharp. "There is no 'we'. What made you think there was a 'we'?"

Yang shrugged once more, clearly not perturbed by Blake's response.

"Well, I mean, I _am_ on a journey across the country. I've lingered here far longer than I'd have liked to, and I don't think what I'm looking for resides in this town. Epica is my next stop, and logistically, it should be yours as well. Unless you're barring me from sharing the road with you, it only makes sense that we would travel together for as long as we need to to get where we're going."

Blake was silent for a moment, a worried expression crossing her features as she bit her bottom lip.

"I don't know... " Blake hesitated.

"Why not?" Yang asked, clearly confused. "Give me one good reason why we shouldn't travel together."

Blake looked up from the table to meet Yang's stare, her golden eyes darkened with some unnamed emotion.

"What I'm doing, where I'm going, it's... dangerous, Yang. Needlessly dangerous, and it doesn't make any sense for you to get mixed up in it."

Yang laughed, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms under her chest.

"Me travelling alone is needlessly dangerous, if you think about it. You, as well, probably moreso since it appears you have a target on your back. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone to trade night watch with?"

Blake regarded her with distrusting eyes, unsure of what to do.

"What reason would you give me as to why I should agree? Why do you even want to?"

Yang reached up to twirl a lock of hair around her finger, eyes roaming all over the diner as she contemplated her answer.

"I can't really give you an answer other than that I think it just makes sense, and... and that I want to. It'll be much more exciting than travelling alone, at the very least." Yang forced herself to stop looking anywhere but at Blake, locking her eyes onto twin pools of fiery gold.

"At least think about it? Consider it as an option?"

Blake broke their staring contest, unable to maintain eye contact any longer. Her gaze dropped to her plate as the gears in her head turned.

"I'll consider it, but only if you can provide me with a truly compelling reason." Blake said softly. "Otherwise, I cannot justify endangering you, especially given what you've done for me so far."

A wide grin slowly spread across Yang's face, and she nodded slowly. "Consider it done! Before the end of the day, you'll have one kickass, irrefutable reason as to why I'll make the best travel partner you've ever had!"

Blake felt a wave of uneasiness slash through her stomach, a discomfort that had nothing to do with her slowly healing knife wound.

"I'm sure you will." She replied slowly.

Yang tilted her head to the side as she picked up on Blake's discomfort, surveying her quietly for a moment. When she spoke, it was to change the subject.

"So what's on the agenda today?"

Blake regarded her empty plate with somber eyes, idly tracing the gilded edges.

"I have to go into work. Sun will be there. I need to let him know that... "

Yang opened her mouth as Blake trailed off, a question forming in her throat, but she paused when she saw Blake swallow thickly.

"I need to let him know that I won't be coming back."

Yang inhaled slowly through her nose, her jubilant personality inherently at odds with Blake's serious demeanor. Exhaling quietly, Yang raised an eyebrow.

"Well?" She asked cheerfully, attempting to bring some color to Blake's mood. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Blake rose gracefully from her seat, needing no more encouragement than that. Yang slapped both palms down on the table, pushing herself up with more force than strictly necessary. The table, which wasn't affixed to the floor, rocked dangerously, sending their empty plates and glasses skittering perilously close to the edge. One empty glass careened off the edge, and Yang's eyes widened as she watched it fall in slow motion.

"Oh sh-!" Yang made a grab for a glass, nearly slipping in the process, and missed. Blake spotted the glass tumbling toward the ground and before she could reign herself in, her hand shot out and snagged the glass mid tumble.

"Damn." Yang eyed the glass with ill-concealed incredulity. "Nice catch, Blake!"

Blake glared at her, slamming the glass down on the table with a bit more force than strictly necessary.

"Try to restrain yourself." Blake said sharply. Her words, however, did not have the desired effect as Yang merely grinned mightily at her, producing a double thumbs up as they began walking toward the front door.

"I can be restrained no easier than the sun can be made to stop shining, Blake!"

Blake's eyes narrowed, her eyebrows creasing as a light frown dimpled her cheeks.

"Something wrong?" Yang asked, her voice shifting to one of mild concern.

Blake closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Yang, you and I, we're two very different people. The thought of travelling with you makes me feel physically ill."

Yang jostled a bunch of coins in her hand, a sudden excess of energy making her fidgety.

"That's awfully insulting." Yang replied, mock hurt filling her voice.

"Whatever." Blake glanced at Yang as the girl deposited a slew of copper and silver pieces upon the front desk. "What are- Yang, you've done enough, you can't pay for my breakfast as well!"

Blake glared at the taller girl as Yang bared her teeth in a playful grin- an expression that Blake had a feeling was more a default expression than anything else.

"Too late. Let's get out of here, we have things to do!" Grabbing Blake's hand, Yang didn't bother waiting for a reply from the raven haired girl before dragging her out of the diner and into the morning sunlight.

Biting back a growl of frustration at being manhandled, Blake had to take a deep breath to calm herself as she told herself that Yang was just being... Yang. Pushing down the growing anxiety forming in her stomach at the thought of the adventure that lay ahead of her, she tried to enjoy the next little while that she'd be spending with this golden haired enigma. If not for herself, then at least for Yang.

The walk was spent in relative silence, Blake having pulled her hand out of Yang's grip almost immediately. The unnecessary contact left her feeling awkward and uncomfortable, and Yang seemed to have picked up on it. She left a fair amount of space between them as they walked, a space Blake was grateful for as she tried to process what was happening.

The last week had been a blur, for more reasons than one. She couldn't recall much about the attack she had suffered, and couldn't remember seeing her attacker actually make off with Weiss. So that meant Weiss had either fled and escaped, or she had been picked up and taken out of Blake's fading sight.

Now that she'd had some time to think clearly, unencumbered by pain, she realized that the first place she should look would be Weiss' palace. If she'd made it out in one piece, she might be simply hiding within the protection of her kingdom. It would explain why Blake hadn't heard nor seen her since the attack. If Weiss was well and truly gone, there was a small chance that the Schnee kingdom didn't know, or at least, didn't have any solid leads. Blake figured that she wasn't expected to have survived the attack, so knowing that the Winchesters were behind it was privileged information.

Blake's head was spinning with the endless possibilities of what had happened, but dwelling on the more dire ones only made her feel sick. She refused to believe that anything bad had happened to Weiss, and she promised herself over and over that she wouldn't stop looking for her girlfriend until she'd seen a body with her own eyes.

She owed at least that much to her.

Searching for Weiss at her palace presented Blake with two possibilities. First, she was in no condition to be climbing stone exteriors and vaulting her way undetected into bedroom windows. This made covertly checking on Weiss neigh on impossible.

Second, a commoner like herself waltzing into the great hall and requesting a meeting with the Schnee patriarch would more likely be met with spears and swords than acquiescence. They would have no reason to believe that Weiss was out gallivanting with a half demon and had been set upon by the Winchesters. If anything, Blake herself would be the first suspect, with ransom no doubt being the first thing to come to their minds.

No, that was definitely not the solution to this problem.

"You know, if you think any harder over there, I'm pretty sure you'll explode."

Blake raised her head, a questioning sound tickling the back of her throat as she glanced up at Yang.

Yang was staring down at her, concern written loosely across her features.

"I know you're worried about your friend, but you're gonna give yourself brain damage thinking that hard."

Blake sighed softly, her furrowed brow relaxing slightly.

"I'm having a problem trying to figure out what my next move should be." Blake reluctantly admitted, reaching up to rake her fingers through her hair. Discreetly, she made sure that her ears were still well concealed by her voluminous silky raven hair.

"Do you have any ideas at all?"

Blake shrugged. "A few, but none of them are any good." She admitted.

Yang snorted, earning a raised eyebrow and a confused look from Blake.

"Your friend disappeared to who-knows-where, and with nearly a week of travel between you and her, she could be hundreds of kilometers away in any direction. Further, if she was taken aboard a vessel. Not having a good idea is about right, I would say."

Blake sighed dejectedly, her shoulders drooping. "And here I thought you were gonna offer some helpful advice."

Yang grinned reaching out and clapping Blake on the shoulder.

"I don't need to. You might not know what action to take, but you're doing what you can. That in itself is admirable."

Despite the praise, Blake felt a well of uncertainty spring up in the pits of her stomach. Gently leaning to the right, she coaxed Yang's hand from her shoulder. Yang obliged, letting her hand fall back to her side as Blake shied ever so slightly away from her.

"Well, " Yang said, coming to a stop and pointing her thumb at the bookstore. "This is it."

Blake nodded. Without hesitation, she pushed her way inside, feeling Yang close on her heels.

"Welcome to - oh, hey Blake! Glad you're feeling better! Hey blondie." Sun greeted the duo as they stepped into the dark, cool store.

Yang waved, but said nothing. Blake stepped up to the counter, Yang stopping a few feet away. Turning her back to the pair, she idly scanned a row of books upon a shelf as she tried not to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Sun, I'll be going away for a while."

Yang furtively glanced over her shoulder under the guise of turning to the right to scan for more books. Sun's bushy yellow monkey tail waved nonchalantly as the boy carefully stacked up a set of new leather bound books.

"For sure! How long? A week? Two weeks? You're gonna need time to recover, right?"

Blake held up a hand, urging silence. If she didn't, his questions would never end.

"I'll be going away for a long time. And possibly not making it back."

"Huh? What d'you mean?" Yang could hear the confusion in his voice, but having turned back to the shelf, she could only speculate as to what his face looked like right now. Yang had only interacted with him a few times, but he seemed like an expressive character.

"I don't know if you heard, but Weiss went missing in the attack. I have to go find her. I have one lead, and it's leading me right into a fight I don't think I can win."

"Missing? Blake, how long have you been out of it? Weiss isn't missing."

"What!?"

At that, all thoughts of privacy disappeared. Yang replaced the book she was thumbing through and turned around, stepping up to Blake's side. She eyed the demon curiously, but he ignored her.

"Where is she?" Blake demanded, slamming her hand down on the counter. Sun raised an eyebrow in surprise, holding his hands up defensively.

"See for yourself." He said. Reaching under the desk, he withdrew a flyer. Yang had seen several of them around, mostly posted on public boards in the town square, a place that seemed to be an information hub for the town.

Turning the flyer around so that it faced the girls, Sun placed it on the counter and slid it toward them. Leaning back, he crossed his arms over his chest as he surveyed the girls closely.

"It was delivered this morning. I just hadn't gotten around to posting it in the window yet."

Blake looked down at the flyer, her narrowed golden eyes widening in horror as she read the words that were finely scribed upon the thick paper.

 _"We are overjoyed to announce the marriage of Cardin Winchester and Weiss Schnee!"_

Underneath that, elaborately drawn house symbols took up a large portion of the flyer.

Blake looked further down, and saw a date and time as well as a location.

"Blake... that's in a month. And it's in Citadel. That's Winchester territory. That's their kingdom."

Blake was silent, wide golden eyes sweeping back and forth as if she couldn't believe what she was reading.

"No." Blake whispered, pushing the flyer away.

"No. No!" Blake growled, looking up to Yang. Blake's face was devoid of color, as if she'd been terrorized to within an inch of her life.

"Blake-"

"There's no way it's by choice!" Blake interrupted. Sun raised his hands in an attempt to placate her, but it was useless as Blake whirled on him, slamming both palms down onto the table.

"Blake, chill!"

"I don't accept it! There's no way she would do this! It doesn't make sense!"

Sun sighed, grateful that there were no customers yet in the store.

"Blake, wreaking havoc in my store won't fix this. I'm gonna need you to relax, or I'll have to forcefully restrain you myself."

Blake glared at him, her jaw clenching as she tried to force herself to calm down.

"Hey, at least she's alive." Yang spoke up, attempting to help.

Blake clenched her hands into fists, knowing that getting worked up wouldn't help anything at this moment. However, it was difficult to quell the burning anger coursing through her veins, and she couldn't help but wonder who she had angered to receive such divine punishment.

"I need to stop this." Blake said curtly, reaching out and grabbing the flyer. She picked it up and looked down at it once more, searing the date and time into her mind. Lip curling in disgust at the sight of the Winchester house symbol, she crumpled the paper in her fist.

"Hey!" Sun snatched it from her hand, carefully unfurling it and laying it flat on the table in front of Blake.

"I have to hang that in the window." He grumbled, slowly smoothing out the creases in the paper with measured strokes of his thumb.

"How are you possibly going to do that?" Yang asked, referring to Blake's declaration.

Blake ignored her, surveying Sun for a moment.

"Sun, I need a loan."

Sun scoffed, turning the paper over to bend out a crease.

"You came in here and told me you were going away and might not come back. Why in the world would I loan you a sum of money?"

Blake sighed, reaching up to rub at her forehead.

"Sun, I'm serious. This is important. I need to buy a sword, and I need to go get my girlfriend back."

At that, Sun burst into laughter. Raucous laughter that filled the store, echoing off the walls as Sun slapped at the table with his open palm.

"Something funny?" Blake growled between clenched teeth.

"You-" Sun paused to catch his breath, wiping unshed tears from his eyes as another bout of laughter immobilized him for a moment. When he regained himself, he focused his gaze on Blake, snickers lifting the corners of his lips.

"You want to take on the entire Winchester army and disrupt a royal wedding- with a single sword?"

At that, he began laughing again, unable to contain himself.

"Sorry Blake, but the idea is ridiculous!"

"I have to try!" Blake yelled, catching both Yang and Sun off guard. Sun quieted, realizing that Blake was serious.

"Blake... " Sun began, unsure of what to say.

"Blake, what you're proposing is a suicide mission. You may be willing to die for your little girlfriend there, but what good does that do my loan? Any quality sword is going to be more expensive than I can afford to give away. I just can't do it. I'm sorry."

Blake could hear the sincerity in his voice, but it was of little comfort as she lowered her gaze to the counter, fighting back tears.

"What am I supposed to do, then?" She asked, her anger leaving her as swiftly as it had arrived. "Just... give up?" Her voice was pitiful, as the familiar feeling of despair began to creep in, festering in the place where anger had resided only moments ago.

"Blake... I don't know what to tell you." Sun said softly.

"Weiss would never agree to this. I believe that. Whatever this is, it's not by her hand. Her father must have arranged it. She often spoke of arranged marriages, alliances between other powers that would further their standing. That's what this is. I know Weiss doesn't want this, but she might not feel like she has any other choice. If the last she saw of me was bleeding out on the ground, then she rightfully believes me dead. I'm going to go show her she has a choice. I'm going to go get Weiss back, no matter what it costs."

"It's going to cost you your damn life, you fool." Sun said dismissively.

Blake raised her head to glare at him defiantly. "I told Weiss I would do whatever it took for us to be together." She raised her hand to her face, angrily scrubbing away tears.

"I know that she never believed me because I never had the chance to prove it. Well, now I do. Now there's something I can do to prove how much I love her. I'm not backing down now."

Sun sighed, clicking his tongue as his tail twitched agitatedly behind him.

"Whatever. Look, I'll give you a thousand silver pieces. It's not enough to buy a weapon, but you're gonna need more than a weapon to get anywhere on this suicide run. Hopefully it helps."

Sun bent down and disappeared behind the counter, his twitching tail the only thing visible as he rooted around in a lower drawer. After a moment, he popped up. He was holding a small leather bag, and it rattled heavily with the sound of many coins.

"Thanks, Sun." Blake said, reaching out for the bag. Her fingertips brushed the leather, but Sun jerked it back, out of her reach.

"I know this is useless, but please, Blake. Don't die. It's not about the money. Your story wasn't meant to end like this. I urge you to rethink what you're doing. I'll always have a place for you here."

Blake hesitated, then nodded.

"I couldn't live with myself if I didn't do something to try and get her back, Sun." She said quietly, accepting the bag of coins. "Either way, I'll be dead."

Sun sighed quietly. He glanced at Yang, and saw her staring intently at Blake. Blake was staring at the bag in her hands, no doubt wondering how she would come up with the rest of the money for a weapon.

The silence seemed to stretch on for a while, each alone with their thoughts, before Yang began pulling at her clothes like they'd been set alight.

Startled, Blake and Sun turned toward Yang as she pulled off her worn leather jacket, carefully setting it aside. Next, she lifted off her sleeveless thin leather chest protector.

"Yang, er, what are you doing?" Blake asked, puzzled. "I don't think stripping is the way to get more money for weapons. At least, not in this dead bookstore."

"Hey!" Sun protested.

"I'm not stripping." Yang said, pulling a thin cotton sleeveless shirt over her head. Her hair was disheveled, but she ignored it. She only had one more shirt on, and it clung tightly to her chest. Grabbing the hem of it, she lifted it up before either Blake or Sun could look away. Thankfully, her chest was compression wrapped, and all they caught sight of was white bandaging. Just below her breasts, however, was a thin black strip of leather. Wrapped securely by the leather were four solid silver bars, pressed tightly to her skin. From the other side of the counter, Sun hummed, clearly impressed.

Yang carefully worked a bar loose, about five inches long, two inches wide, and a quarter of an inch thick.

She wiped a thumb over the face of the bar, feeling the indentation of the maker's mark. Glancing up at Blake, she hesitated just a moment before holding the bar out to Blake.

"You needed me to give you a good reason as to why you should let me travel with you, right?" Yang asked. "I've got one hell of a convincing reason right here."

Blake's eyes fell to the ingot, hesitation and desire warring inside her head.

"Yang, that's too much... I can't afford to ever pay that back."

Yang shrugged. "I'm not worried about getting paid back. What I'm worried about is you. Let me go with you. You can't do it alone."

Blake looked up at Yang, hesitant, distrusting gold meeting pure, innocent lilac. Yang tilted her head to the side and smiled softly.

"Please. If you won't do it for yourself, then do it for Weiss. She needs you."

Images of Weiss cascaded through Blake's mind, and her heart ached painfully at the thought of how much she missed her girlfriend.

"Okay, " Blake nodded as she reached out to accept the silver bar from Yang. One side of it was warm where it had been pressed up against Yang's skin, and the other side was cold. Scratching her thumb nail over the stamped maker's mark, she marveled over the feel of pure solid silver.

"Let's go get Weiss back."


	6. Losing Streak

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Six

* * *

Blake had never carried a sword before. A dagger, sure. It was almost a necessity in the streets of Nova where the half demons and homeless mingled, but a sword? She'd never been able to afford one, and had only seldom seen guards use them.

Blake shifted once more, not at all comfortable with the weight of the sword on her left hip. She was right handed, so it made sense to secure the damned thing to her left hip, but it left her feeling oddly more vulnerable than it did protected.

It was an encumbrance. It hindered her movement, and she didn't like it.

Yang had assured her that she would grow so accustomed to the weight that she would eventually automatically account for the swing and bump of the sword sheath against her leg with oddly matched steps, and even begin to feel naked without it strapped to her hip.

When asked how Yang knew this, Yang had bashfully admitted that she herself had never carried a sword before; she had just heard it from her uncle, who had carried a sword for years.

Blake had asked Yang if she was going to aquire a weapon. Yang had declined, saying that she wasn't much for swinging a sword. All of her fights had been with her fists, and she insisted that that was good enough. Blake, for her part, wasn't sure exactly what good fists were going to do against swords, but had held her tongue. It wasn't her place to press the issue, and this wasn't Yang's fight anyway.

It had brought up the topic of how long Yang planned to travel with her, however. Yang had said that she wasn't really sure. She was along for an adventure, and if it stopped being adventurous, then they would probably part ways.

Now, as they trod through the dirt on a path that was quite familiar to Yang, having traveled the opposite way toward Nova only seven days prior, Blake was beginning to question whether the companionship was worth the trade for the weapon.

Because Yang liked to talk.

A lot.

"It's gonna get hot out soon." Yang commented, raising a hand to her forehead to block out the glare of the shining sun as she stared off into the distance down the path they were travelling along.

Blake said nothing, wondering how long she could be completely silent before Yang would follow suit.

"Did we pack enough water? I feel like we didn't pack enough water." Yang twisted around, reaching awkwardly behind herself to grasp at her pack. Her hand found one of the water canteens strapped to her pack, and after a moment of fidgeting, she unclipped it and brought it to her front.

"These things don't hold a lot, do they?" Yang shook the canteen, listening to the muted sloshing sound emanating from inside.

"Not a lot at all." Yang easily answered her own question.

Blake released a barely audible sigh. Apparently, a conversational partner was optional.

"Water is good though." Yang untwisted the cap and raised the canteen to her lips, taking a sip.

"Want some?" Yang held the canteen out to Blake as she wiped her mouth off with the back of her other hand.

Blake took her time turning slowly to glance at the canteen, before raising her eyes to meet Yang.

"No."

Turning back to face her direction of travel, she ignored whatever reaction Yang had.

"Eh, suit yourself." The blonde took another gulp before returning the canteen to her pack, albeit with a bit of difficulty.

"So, I have a question for you, Blake."

Blake had to harshly bite her tongue to choke back a snarky response.

"Of course you do. What is it?"

Yang either didn't pick up on her unwillingness to talk, or had, but decided to ignore it.

"You were pretty tight lipped when it came to talking about Weiss, so I didn't know much about her, and I think I got the wrong impression. I thought she was your friend, but overhearing you and monkey boy back there, it seems she's a lot more than that. What's the full story between you two?"

Blake was torn, internally. Yang had finally touched upon a topic that interested her, yet was one she was unwilling to talk about.

Blake stared out at the shimmering horizon, contemplating her response. Reaching up, she pulled her thin black hood tighter around her face, using the edge to block out the sun's glare.

"Weiss... " Blake spoke softly, trying out the name upon her tongue as if she hadn't spoken it in a thousand years.

"Weiss was always a little trouble-maker. She didn't like adhering to the norms, and didn't like being put into a carefully crafted box where she dressed, spoke, and acted a certain way. It just wasn't her."

Blake took a deep breath, unsure if she wanted to continue revealing these memories.

Yang noticed, and immediately her tone shifted to one of comfort.

"Hey, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Blake had such a mixed jumble of feelings coursing through her that she couldn't tell what she wanted. Talking about Weiss seemed to bring her closer to the girl, made her more real, eased the aching in her heart by the slightest margins, so she cautiously moved forward.

"One day Weiss snuck out of her palace, and went for a walk down in the city of Nova. Around six years ago. She found me, in less than ideal conditions let's say, and befriended me. At the time, I had no idea who or what she was, all I knew was that she was a pretty girl who often brought me tasty pastries."

Yang chuckled at that, clearly entertaining herself with a humorous mental image.

"One day she told me to meet her in her room, late at night. I thought I'd misheard her when she directed me to climb the castle's second tallest tower, but she insisted. I ended up not going that night, fear and hesitation causing me to stall."

Blake bowed her head and focused on her boots as she scuffed them along the ground.

"Eventually, I went. And I had a wonderful time. She showed me books I'd never read before, and we talked. About anything and everything. She was incredibly refined and intelligent, in every sense of the word."

Blake smiled at a particular memory that rose to the surface of her mind.

"Eventually it melded into something more, and I began staying the night in her bed, only to leave shortly before first morning's light."

"You guys were... ?" Yang left the question open ended, unsure of how to ask such a private thing.

Blake shook her head. "Not at first, no. It was a companionship thing. She liked me because I gave her a taste of something outside the usual, and it was a way to rebel against the path that had seemingly been laid out for her. Her older sister more than likely had something to do with it, I suppose. Her older sister was the first one to run off to do her own thing, against the wishes of her father. Weiss wanted to be just like big sister Winter."

Blake chuckled softly, kicking at a small rock with the toe of her boot. It skittered down the path for quite a ways before veering off and tumbling into the grass.

"I liked her because she paid attention to me. Made me feel loved, needed, even though... "

Yang raised an eyebrow curiously. "Even though what?"

Blake looked up at Yang, studying her intently for a moment.

"Even though I was different." Blake said simply.

Yang nodded slowly. "I see."

"What about you?"

Yang looked up, mild surprise lifting her blonde brows.

"Me? What about me?"

Blake glanced to her right, where Yang was casually swinging her arms back and forth.

"Did you leave anyone special back home?"

Yang shrugged, looking down at her boots.

"Not really, no."

Blake hummed softly. "That doesn't sound very convincing."

Yang raised her head to look out at the horizon.

"Well, I was dating someone for a year or so, but... things happened and I had to end it. It's ultimately what lead to this little journey."

Blake smirked. "Wow, don't inundate me with too many details." She said dryly.

Yang shrugged. "Bit of a private topic, that's all."

Blake nodded. "I get that."

Yang hummed quietly.

Blake considered changing the topic, but as the silence stretched out between them, she wondered if she would be better off enjoying the respite and seeing how long it would last.

An irritation that Blake hadn't accounted for when agreeing to let Yang travel with her was the constant pain associated with hiding her ears. They wanted to stand proud atop her head, keeping her alert of anything and everything that moved, but she had to consciously keep them pressed flat against her head. It had started out as mildly annoying, but had grown to be quite painful over the last day or so.

The pain had gotten severe enough that Blake had toyed with the idea of simply coming out to Yang about being a half demon, but the potential for conflict had her wondering if it was worth it.

Not that she wasn't confident that she could overpower the blonde in any sort of fight. Plus, she reminded herself, she was the one with the sword.

But deep down, Blake knew she couldn't be that person. She had spent so much of her life avoiding conflict and fleeing from confrontation that the idea of willingly outing herself and exposing herself to potential backlash made her skin crawl.

No, it was best to keep herself to herself, as she had always done. No problems that way.

"So, where exactly are we heading, anyway?" Yang asked, reaching up to push her hair back out of her face. "Like, I know we're headed to Epica, where the Winchesters live, but there's a lot of space between here and there. Where's our first stop?"

Blake raised a hand and pointed off into the distance.

"We're headed for a large town called Solis Occasus." She said. "I'm following the most direct path I know of to get to Epica, and it's the path that I think Weiss' captor would have taken. Wherever possible, I'd like to sleep within the protection of a town, because out here, you never know who or what is wandering around."

Yang nodded.

"What kind of town is Solis Occasus?" She asked interestedly. "Back at the last junction, I came from the western path. Turned south at the crossroads to get to Nova, so I came nowhere near any other town."

"I've never been there myself, but I've heard stories. Supposedly as you get further north toward Epica, the towns all get slightly more modern and technologically advanced. Epica, and the Winchesters especially, are heavily driven by innovation in weapon and material design. Occasus is supposed to be fairly nice, but with that comes an increase in the price of things like food and supplies, so we'll have to really shop around to see where we can get some deals."

"Speaking of food, " Yang raised a hand to pat her flat stomach comfortingly, "I'm literally dying of hunger. Can we stop and have a snack?"

Blake raised an eyebrow as she glanced sideways at her travelling partner.

"I'm fairly certain you're not literally dying of hunger."

Yang shrugged. "You've been known to be wrong before."

Blake scoffed as she looked around, finding a relatively flat spot off the side of the path not too far ahead. Setting her sights on it, she made a beeline for it.

"How would you know that?" Blake asked.

Yang grinned deviously. "Statistical fact." She said proudly. "No one has ever been one hundred percent correct on everything they've said or done."

Blake paused, unsure of how to respond.

"Er... well, yeah, technically, I guess... "

"Great! Now, before I perish, let's grab a bite."

Blake nodded slowly as she reached down to her waist to unstrap her sword. Coming to a stop, she gently placed it on the ground before falling to her knees.

Yang sat down beside her, crossing her legs and pulling her pack into her lap. The pack was a bit oversized, as she had forcibly relieved Blake of her own pack and strapped it to her own. Blake had protested, saying she was fit enough to carry her own gear, but Yang wanted to take zero chances with the stitches holding her gut together.

"Jerky?"

Blake was tugged from her thoughts by Yang's voice, and she carefully adjusted her sitting position to one that was slightly more comfortable and put less pressure on her stomach. Looking up at the blonde, she saw the girl holding out a small bag of dried meat toward her.

It was heavily spiced, that much she could tell just from the scent. Instantly it made her mouth water, and she nodded slowly.

"I'll try some." She allowed. Yang grinned as Blake reached out and dug a few strips out from the bag.

"You're gonna love it. The vendor allowed me to try some before I bought it, and it's fantastic."

Blake tore off a piece, sharp fangs shredding the meat with ease. Letting it sit on her tongue for a moment, she gently sucked on it for a moment as the taste flooded her mouth.

"It's very good." Blake agreed after a moment, chewing slowly so as to savour the taste.

"Right!?"

Blake popped the rest of the strip into her mouth, her eyes finding Yang's face.

"I'm sorry, I have to ask once more, are you _sure_ you want to travel with me?" Blake asked.

"So far you've lost your original gear, spent a bunch of downtime in the city, bought food for the both of us, bought me a damn _sword_ , and now we're travelling headlong into danger to rescue my girlfriend."

Yang laughed, fingers raking through her blonde hair as she scratched the back of her head.

"Well, when you say it like that, it makes me sound stupid. Or crazy."

Blake licked her bottom lip slowly, traces of meat invigorating her taste buds.

"So far I'm not seeing any evidence to the contrary."

Yang raised her hands up helplessly. "Okay, so you know when you're gambling, and you're on a losing streak, but you've spent so much that you just can't walk away? You go all in and hope it eventually pays dividends, or at least, allows you to break even."

Blake fixed her with a blank stare.

"This relates... how?"

Yang grinned. "You're my losing streak. And I'm hoping you start paying out dividends sooner rather than later."

Blake faltered for a moment, unsure of what to say or how to respond.

"I... I'm your losing streak?" She asked.

Yang shrugged. "It started off with losing my pack trying to help you, and it's been all downhill ever since. I can't cut my losses now, I'm all in."

Blake's eyes fell to the ground, unsure of how to process that response.

"I... I don't even know how to respond to that." Blake said quietly. "You're joking, right? You have to be kidding."

Yang shrugged again, a mischievous light dancing in her eyes.

"I guess we'll never know, will we?" She asked, teasingly.

It slowly dawned on Blake that Yang was pulling her leg, but she decided to ride the joke just a bit further.

"What exactly are you hoping to regain?" Blake asked. "The only thing I have any hope of winning is Weiss, and I hate to tell you, but I don't share."

Caught off guard, Yang hesitated. "Uhh... no, that's... that's not what I-"

Blake knew she had the advantage now, and kept pressing it. She slowly looked Yang up and down, making it very obvious that she was scrutinizing Yang's body.

"Besides, you don't really think that the refined, elegant Weiss Schnee would be interested in... well... " Blake gestured toward Yang, " _You_."

"Hey!" Yang protested, her voice higher than normal. "That's a little mean, don't you think?"

Blake looked away as she took another bite of jerky, savouring the flavor on her tongue.

"I guess we'll never know, will we?" She mocked airily, glancing over at Yang from the corner of her eye.

"Jerk." Yang muttered.

"You started it." Blake said quietly, staring at Yang. She held Yang's gaze for a moment before looking away, her eyes falling to the bag in Yang's hand.

Wordlessly, Yang held the bag out to her.

After a second of hesitation, Blake gratefully accepted.

* * *

It was well past sunset when they staggered into town, dirty and exhausted. The moon shone brightly in the sky, providing illumination for travel, and they decided against stopping on the trail for the night.

As they approached the town, the first thing they saw was a massive arch spanning the width of the path. The arch was constructed of a dark, hard wood and stood three times as tall as either girl could reach. Upon it, carefully cut out block letters spelt the name of the town: Solis Occasus. Directly beneath the sign, the path turned from hard packed dirt to colorful red, brown, and black brick, the beginning of what could be called 'main street'.

The town's main thoroughfare was well lit with torches, casting light on the near immaculate wide brick pathway. It was a straight shot from the south end of town through to the north, interrupted only by a large water fountain feature in the middle of town. Branching off from the main path were many other side streets that lead to inns, pubs, vendors and the like. A giant billboard at the southern edge of town advertised all the town's services like blacksmithing, protection-for-hire, as well as a handful of guilds looking for members.

Despite being near middle of the night, the town's streets weren't completely vacant. The city had a large military presence, and one couldn't look in any direction without seeing a pair of armed soldiers keeping to a strict patrol route as they circled the interior of the city.

Blake had heard stories of the city's military force. Largely approachable, they functioned as a source of information for tourists and visitors, and were seen as protective of the city and it's people.

Still, authority produced a type of anxiety in Blake that was hard to quell, and even being within their sight made her nervous in a way she couldn't quite describe. Their supposed comforting presence made her more nervous than anything.

"Let's find an inn and get a few hours of sleep." Blake muttered to Yang, baleful golden eyes watching a pair of approaching soldiers with open distrust.

"Suppose we could ask these two fine gentlemen?" Yang asked, jabbing her thumb toward the pair.

Blake scoffed. "I'd rather not, but your little gesture seems to have piqued their interest."

"Something we can aid you with?" One of the two soldiers asked, approaching the girls. The distance between them could be measured in meters, but was closing rapidly.

Yang came to a halt, an easy grin on her face as two armed soldiers stopped in front of her.

"Yeah, we came in from Nova, and were wondering where we could find an inn with a vacancy."

One soldier, sporting short blonde hair, hooked his shield on a clip on his belt. Now that Blake had the opportunity to inspect them closely, she realized they were very lightly armed.

Black leather bracers with red lace protected their forearms, and their heads were devoid of any sort of protective gear. Leather chest protectors adorned their torsos, with lightweight loose leather shorts protecting their lower half. Metal greaves protected their shins, and their footwear was equally lightweight. Both soldiers carried long metal swords at their hips, and both were equipped with the same sort of shield. Both had ornate red roses carved into the faces of their shields, no doubt an allegiance symbol of some sort.

The leader of the two, the blonde one, had a red sash tied around his waist. Whether it was a personal item, or a symbol of rank, Blake couldn't tell.

He raised his hand, now devoid of shield, and pointed to his right.

"If you take this side road west, you'll see an inn on your left hand side. The lights will be on, impossible to miss, but if you have any trouble, the guards will be happy to help."

"Hey, thanks!" Yang lifted her hand in thanks, waving at him. He nodded in return, glancing back and forth between Blake and Yang.

Deciding now would be a good time to take their leave, Blake grabbed Yang's hand and dragged her away.

"Thanks for your help." Blake called over her shoulder. "It's best that we get going, though. Bye!"

"Oi, what's the rush?" Yang asked, stumbling to catch up with Blake. Blake glanced irritably at Yang.

"I'm tired and sore as hell, and it's the middle of the goddamn night. If you wanna make doe eyes at the soldiers, do it on your own damn time."

Yang blinked, caught completely off guard.

"Uhh, I dunno what's gotten into you, but I was curious about the emblem on their shields. I remember seeing it somewhere before, and I wanted to gather more information. Who said I was flirting with the guards? And why do you care, if I was? Don't you have a girlfriend?" Yang asked, giving her hand a firm tug.

Blake released Yang's hand, angrily pulling her hand back and folding her arms across her chest.

"I recognize the symbol. It's the Rose Army, and they're affiliated with the Winchester clan. It would be best if we kept contact with them to a minimum. I don't think they'd respond favourably to two miscreants who were planning on crashing a royal wedding."

Yang's eyes widened slightly. "O-oh."

"Authority is the enemy now, Yang." Blake spared a look at Yang as they approached a lit up building. "You'd do well to remember that."

"Man, you're a catty bitch when you're tired, huh?"

Blake nearly tripped at that, but swiftly regained her composure as irritation darkened her features.

"God! You're so annoying!" Blake growled.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Yang mumbled. Gesturing to the double doors of the inn, she waved her hand dramatically.

"After you."

Blake prowled up the stairs, hips swaying with each aggravated step.

Smirking to herself at how easy it was to rile Blake up, Yang swiftly scaled the steps, trailing Blake.

Blake pushed open the double doors, stepping inside. Instantly she was greeted by an older woman at the front desk, and Blake nodded to her, approaching with Yang trailing behind her.

"Can we get a single room, two beds?" Blake asked, in no mood for pleasantries.

The older woman examined Blake, then Yang, then slowly turned her back on Blake, consulting a massive pegboard hanging on the wall filled with keys. Slowly her finger ran down a column of pegs, and each one was devoid of keys.

Turning back to Blake, she shook her head apologetically.

"Sorry, we're all out of single doubles." She said. "Would you care for two separate rooms?"

Blake glanced at Yang, who shrugged non-committedly.

Turning back to the woman, Blake shook her head.

"We can't justify the cost. A single room, single bed will have to suffice."

"Alright dear. How long will you be staying with us?"

"Just the night. We'll be gone by morning's light."

The woman nodded slowly, turning back to the board behind her. Selecting a ring of keys with a small tag on it, she handed it to Blake.

"Your room is on the first floor, down that hallway, third door on the left."

Blake looked around confusedly, glancing at Yang and earning a puzzled glance from the blonde before she turned back to the woman.

"Er... don't we have to pay?"

The woman chuckled quietly.

"All bills will be settled upon checkout."

Blake glanced down at the key, then back at the woman.

"Alright, I need to ask, don't you have people skip out on paying?"

The woman shrugged. "Some people try. Most don't get very far before being detained by the Rose Army. They've gained somewhat of a reputation around here. Those that don't know it, swiftly become painfully acquainted with it."

Blake nodded slowly. "I see. Well, thank you."

The woman nodded, waving her off.

Turning to Yang, Blake fixed her with a hard stare.

"Let's get a few hours of sleep before we hit the road."

Yang nodded, following Blake as she lead the way down the narrow hall.

* * *

"You should take first crack at the shower, Blake." Yang gestured toward the bathroom door.

"You stink just as much as I do." Blake retorted, embarrassment warring with exhaustion as her current primary emotion.

Yang laughed, dropping their packs on the floor and sitting down on the bed.

"I probably do." She agreed. "But that's not why I suggested it. Your bandages didn't get changed last night, and they should have. No doubt with all the moving around today, they're probably stuck pretty tightly to your skin. The water will soften them up. When you're done, I'll help you change them."

Blake eyed Yang for a moment, wanting to be angry at her for a reason she couldn't quite figure out through the haze of exhaustion and weariness, but unable to when she was being so damnably kind.

Resigning herself to saying nothing at all, Blake turned and disappeared into the bathroom.

Yang watched her until the door clicked shut, then sighed as she flopped down onto the bed. Staring at the ceiling, she wondered just what exactly she had gotten herself into. Closing her eyes, she let her mind rest for a moment as the muted sound of running water reached her ears. Such a peaceful, soothing sound...

* * *

"I'm done."

The voice jolted Yang out of her light dozing, the blonde jerking upright and rubbing at her face.

"I wasn't asleep." Yang said, fighting back a yawn. She failed, and tilted her head back as she yawned, jaw cracking painfully.

Blake smirked. "I didn't say you were."

"Right." Yang agreed. "But I wasn't."

Blake sighed, and moved over to the bed, sidling up close to Yang.

Yang glanced at her, lilac eyes widening as she immediately woke up.

Blake was completely naked, save for a towel around her chest. The length of the towel barely covered her backside, revealing damp, creamy skin. Her skin was flushed from the hot water, but it was clear that she was naturally lightly tanned.

"Uhh... "

Yang glanced up at Blake's face, who was standing taller than herself, still seated on the bed.

Blake's hair was wrapped up in a neat high ponytail, a red bandana that Yang didn't know she had wrapped around her forehead and covering the top of her head.

"You said you'd help me with my bandages?" Blake raised an eyebrow, staring down at Yang.

"Right!" Yang agreed a bit too loudly. Licking her bottom lip, she tried out her voice again. "Right... Uhhh... " Yang glanced around, then looked down at the bed.

"Honestly, it'd probably be easier if you laid down on the bed. I'll remove what I can, then get you to sit up so I can get to what I can't."

Blake nodded in silent agreement. Approaching the bed, she climbed on top of it, mindful of her towel, before laying down and rolling onto her back. Adjusting herself so she was comfortable, she grabbed the bottom of the towel and hiked it up over her hips.

Yang instantly turned away, a dark blush rising into her cheeks and setting the back of her neck alight.

"What're you-"

"Yang." Blake's voice was soft, yet commanding.

Yang slowly turned back toward Blake, and when she looked at her, she breathed a silent sigh of relief when she saw that Blake had adorned dark red panties underneath the towel.

The towel had been hiked up to just beneath her breasts, revealing the wrapping that covered her abdomen in it's entirety.

It was wet, waterlogged and sat loosely upon her skin. Yang couldn't stop herself from wincing in sympathy, however when she laid eyes on the dark red splotch of blood that stained the bandages.

Glancing up at Blake, uncertain lilac locked with hesitant, molten gold.

"You sure?" Yang asked.

"You offered." Blake replied.

"Fair enough." Yang reached into one of the pockets of her leather jacket, her fingers closing around a familiar old switchblade. Pulling it out, she released the blade with a sharp, audible _'click!',_ causing Blake to wince at the sound.

"Don't worry." Yang smirked, a bit of her familiar cheekiness returning. "I'll be nicer to you than the last person to bring a blade near your stomach."

Blake opened her mouth to reply, but Yang had already slid a finger under the bandages. Deciding not to distract the blonde, she settled for watching Yang's face as Yang lifted the bandages clear of her skin before sliding the blade, edge facing up, underneath the ribbons.

The sharp blade sliced effortlessly through the wet ribbon, and Yang made short work of cutting through the wrapping. Snapping the blade closed, she returned it to her pocket before peeling aside the unstuck bandages from Blake's damp, soft skin.

"Might pull a bit here." Yang advised, setting her sights on the bandages criss crossing her stomach just beneath her sternum. Gently peeling the bandages back, Yang was relieved to discover that the hot shower had worked as intended, mostly loosening the dried blood from her skin.

Only one spot offered resistance, but with a deft flick of her thumbnail, Yang severed the connection between bandage and torn flesh. Pulling off the wet bandage and laying it aside, Yang exposed the ugly knife wound to the air.

"How is it?" Blake asked, noting the grimace on Yang's face. Yang glanced at her, tilting her head to flick blonde curls out of her face.

"It's... healing. Slowly."

Yang tore her gaze away from Blake's worried face, looking back down at the wound.

"Whoever attacked you had amazing accuracy." Yang said lightly. "That's about dead center of your stomach, merely an inch below your sternum. How that wasn't fatal, I'll never understand."

Blake shrugged. "Everyone gets lucky sometimes."

Yang examined the patch of torn flesh, noting the puckered, rippled edges where the stitches pulled the flesh together. The stitches themselves were of a dark blue color, a thin fabric strand with incredible tensile strength. The strands themselves criss-crossed the wound, pulling the flesh together across the gap created by the knife blade, and Yang noted with mild concern that some of the stitches were disappearing beneath new flesh.

They'd have to be cut out of her. Not right away, the wound was still too fresh. In another few days, however, before they were completely ensconced by the healing skin.

"How does it feel?" Yang asked.

Blake thought about it for a moment. "The pain is mostly all gone. It's there, but it's a distant, background ache that I don't notice unless something rubs up against it or I move in a way that pulls at the skin."

Yang nodded. Reaching into her bag at the foot of the bed, she pulled out a small clear bottle wrapped in a clean white rag. Unwinding the rag from the bottle, she twisted off the lid.

Splashing some of the liquid onto the rag, she pressed the rag to Blake's wound, careful not to press too hard or drag it across her skin.

Blake fixed Yang with a glare, earning a chuckle from Yang.

"Yeah, it hurts a bit, but it hurts less than an infection. All your gross sweat and dirt collecting in the wound-"

"I just got out of the shower!" Blake growled, cheeks darkening in embarrassment.

"Yeah?" Yang asked. "How hard did you scrub at your wound? Did you use soap?"

Blake fell silent at that, turning away from Yang as she crossed her arms under her chest.

"You're such an ass." Blake cursed.

Yang hummed her agreement as she pulled the rag away, flipping it to the dry side and gently patting at her skin until it was dry.

"Turn over." Yang instructed. Blake began to comply, pushing herself up on her elbows, then she paused, fixing Yang with a stern look.

"Please."

Yang tilted her head to the side, confused for a second before realizing what Blake was asking. Her lips curled into a sly smirk.

"Blake, turn over _please_."

Blake gracefully rolled over onto her stomach, resting her head on her forearms as Yang's hands swiftly pulled the remainder of the bandages off her back. Taking the same cloth she used to sanitize her wound, Yang gently wiped her back clean, getting rid of any excess moisture or dirt remaining from the bandages.

"Alright, turn back over. Please." Yang added.

Turning over onto her back, Blake stared up at Yang and idly examined her features.

"So I don't think you need the whole wrap around your midsection anymore." Yang spoke quietly, leaning down to rummage through her pack. "It seems a bit overkill at this point, so I'm gonna try a single square patch. If it seems like it's bleeding through too quickly, we'll go back to the wrapping, but your injury looks pretty good so nothing short of a direct impact to your wound should cause it to bleed."

Blake exhaled softly. "That's good news, at least."

Yang gently laid a fist sized square of cotton over the injury, using a few strips of adhesive to secure it on all four sides. Gently pressing her thumbs into Blake's skin to ensure the tape sealed well, her fingers sunk into Blake's soft stomach before the girl automatically responded to the touch by tightening her core. Instantly Yang's fingers were rebuked by a solid wall of muscle, defined abs rising and falling with each breath as her creamy, flawless skin stretched tightly over impeccable curves of muscle.

"Wow... " Yang breathed quietly.

"Hmm?" Blake focused her gaze on Yang.

"Uh. Nothing. All done."

Hurriedly, Yang stuffed the unused portions of her supplies back into her bag, grabbing swiftly at the used bandages and practically flying off the bed in her haste to deposit the garbage in the waste bin near the door.

"Yang? You okay?" Blake asked, concerned at the rapid change in Yang's behaviour.

"Y-yeah. Let me know if the bandage comes loose or anything." Yang had her back to Blake, one hand on her hip as the other ran though her blonde curls.

"Okay. Um. Thanks. For your help, I mean."

"Yeah." Yang replied. To Blake's ears, she sounded distracted.

"Uh, what's the sleeping situation like?" Yang asked, slowly pulling off her leather jacket. Blake looked around the small room, then turned to address Yang's back.

"Nary a couch or foldout in sight, so unless you wanna sleep on the floor, I suppose you're bunking with me."

"Right. Well, I'm gonna take a shower. Don't bother waiting up for me." Yang said.

"... Alright." Blake said slowly. She was curious as to Yang's sudden change in attitude, but not curious enough to waste time asking about it that could be spent sleeping. Relegating Yang's strange behaviour to the back of her mind, she began shifting on the bed. Moving gingerly so as to avoid straining her stomach, she sat up fully and pulled back the blankets covering the bed. Sliding underneath as Yang disappeared into the bathroom, Blake rolled onto her side and stared at the opposite wall.

As her breathing slowed and her eyelids began to droop, she silently lamented how few hours of sleep she would get before having to set out and do it all over again.

As her eyes drifted closed and images of Weiss popped into her mind, the challenges of tomorrow suddenly didn't seem so arduous.

"I love you Weiss, so just... wait for me."

* * *

It was nearly an hour later when the hot water began to run out, replaced with an icy cold. Yang had swiftly toweled off and thrown on the baggiest, softest, most comfortable clothes in her pack, taking care to rifle through her pack as quietly as possible to avoid waking Blake.

Yang had never felt a level of exhaustion quite like this before, and a bed had never seemed so welcoming. Strange that she, used to sleeping on the ground underneath a blanket of stars, would crave the soft, warm clutches of a bed.

Peeling back the covers, she slid into bed beside her raven haired companion, taking care not to disturb her as she got comfortable on her back. Sighing in relief as her muscles began to relax, almost painfully so, she closed her eyes as Blake shifted in her sleep.

The idea of waking in a few short hours was almost painful, she thought, but at least-

Yang's eyes shot open as an arm slid across her stomach, finding her hip and clutching her tightly. A second later and Blake slid up close to her, tucking into her side and nuzzling against her shoulder.

"B-Blake?" Yang whispered. "The hell are you doing?"

Blake didn't answer, instead choosing to tighten her grip on Yang.

"Are you on drugs?" Yang whispered furiously, attempting to roll over to confront Blake. As she twisted around to face Blake, her ears caught the sounds of a muted whimper and a mumbled name.

Yang paused, and her indignation and discomfort faded at once as she realized that Blake was still asleep and not putting the moves on her. Settling back down, she got herself comfortable on her side before tentatively putting her arm around Blake's shoulders and hugging her close.

Blake sniffled softly in her sleep, and Yang felt her heart aching for the girl as she realized she could feel a dampness soaking through her shirt.

Blake was crying in her sleep, Weiss' name on her lips.

Yang sighed softly as she pulled the sleeping girl tighter to her chest, pain slashing through heart as Blake began shaking in her arms, tortured sobs escaping her as she cried Weiss' name over and over.

A panic of the sort Yang had never experienced before swiftly overcame her as Blake trembled in her arms like a leaf in a hurricane. Unsure of what to do, Yang froze up, resigning herself to holding the girl until she had cried herself out.

Blake showed no sign of calming down however as her breath caught in her throat, broken sobs and whispers of her girlfriend's name ringing painfully in Yang's ears. Yang tried to quell the panic rising in her chest, gently tightening her grip on Blake's seemingly small, fragile body.

Yang held the girl for a few more minutes before Blake's heart wrenching sobs got the better of her, and Yang buried her nose in Blake's hair, kissing the top of her head and humming softly in an attempt to calm her down as she ignored her own tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

Instantly the soft humming had an effect, and Blake's harsh sobs lessened in intensity. Her fists, tightly clenching Yang's shirt, slowly relaxed, and Yang felt the stiff girl begin to relax in her arms.

Her heart aching painfully for Blake and the sorrow she had to endure, Yang gently wrapped her leg around Blake's, pressing their bodies as tightly together as she could manage, desperate to give Blake every shred of comfort she could muster. She continued humming every soft lullaby she could think of, trying to calm herself down as she inhaled the clean scent of Blake.

Blake pressed her forehead against Yang's chest, nuzzling against her softly as her body gently trembled and shook with the occasional sob.

It was nearly an hour later when Yang felt comfortable enough to allow herself to fall asleep, confident that Blake wouldn't have any more bad dreams. With her fingers greedily clutching Blake to her, their bare skin pressing together in a meeting of too hot and freezing cold, Yang felt herself drifting off to sleep, lulled into unconsciousness by the feeling of her travelling partner pressed tightly against her.


	7. Z, why?

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Seven

* * *

Author's note: To clarify, this will turn into a Blake X Yang story. I'll modify the story description as it seems I wrote a confusing description of the pairings. My apologies for that. There will be no Bee's Schnees! (WeissxBlakexYang). Enjoy the story!

* * *

Yang awoke first. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, and with a room facing east, combined with having forgotten to close the curtains last night, there was no respite from the sunlight as a new day began.

Laying there for a moment with the blankets around her waist, Yang attempted to gather the energy necessary to move. As she blinked up at the orange-red tinted wooden ceiling above her head, she became acutely aware of intermittent, soft breaths of air tickling her shoulder.

Glancing to her right, she saw that Blake was still pressed up against her much in the same fashion as last night, and a whirlwind of confusing feelings attempted to suffocate her, welling up in her chest as she stared down at the peacefully sleeping beautiful girl. Each gentle breath of the girl caressed her bare shoulder and rustled her blonde curls.

 _Speaking of pretty girls..._ Yang thought laconically. _The Girl_ had visted her last night in her dreams once more. It had been a short visit, but _The Girl_ had seemed incredibly pleased about something. She'd been awfully clingy as well, clutching onto Yang as if her life depended on it. She'd rubbed up against Yang's side, cooing and murmuring happily, doing nothing more than increasing Yang's already heightened confusion.

Deciding to put the strange dream out of mind for now, Yang set about carefully extricating herself from Blake. She didn't want to wake the girl so she moved slowly, gently prying the girl's fingers from her shirt where she had been clutching tightly to the fabric and pulling it down off Yang's shoulder.

Slipping her arm out from underneath Blake's head, Yang winced as Blake shifted, sure that she had awoken her.

The moment passed however as Blake instead grabbed a pillow, nuzzling into it and sighing quietly.

Yang couldn't suppress a smile at the open display of adorableness. Leaning over the girl, Yang gently reached out and carefully patted the girl on the head, lingering a moment as an odd, roughly triangular shape appeared beneath her fingers, cloaked by Blake's bandana.

Her curiosity piqued, Yang gently tried to manipulate the item beneath her fingers, but Blake shifted once more, pulling the pillow over her head and burying her face in it.

Stifling a giggle, Yang retreated. Any more of that and she'd be sure to wake Blake up.

Turning to inspect their hotel room, Yang eyed all of the clothes she had pulled out of her pack last night in an attempt to find decent sleep wear. Of course she hadn't put it back last night, and it lay in a pile on the floor next to her bag.

Sighing quietly to herself, she set about packing up all of their stuff.

It didn't take long, and Yang straightened up, hands on her hips as she surveyed their room. Yang had carefully packed away all of her clothes after changing into something she could spend a day comfortably travelling in, and she had gathered up everything of Blake's that she could find.

No doubt Blake would want to change, so she didn't close up her pack right away.

Moving over to the bed, Yang reached down and gently shook Blake's shoulder. The girl groaned lightly, but otherwise didn't respond.

"Hey, Blake, time to get up." Another gentle shake.

Slowly Blake pulled the pillow off her head, turning over and looking at Yang with squinted, bleary eyes.

"It's morning already?" She asked, her tone filled with displeasure.

Yang laughed, lifting her hand from Blake.

"Yeah, it is. Let's get going, yeah?"

Blake sighed, then sat up. Rubbing her face, she yawned, then shook her head. Glancing up at Yang, she looked her up and down.

"When did you get up?"

Yang shrugged. "Not too long ago."

Blake hummed softly, pulling the towel from last night up further to cover her chest.

"Well, if you don't mind giving me a moment of privacy, I'll get dressed and meet you downstairs."

Yang nodded, turning on her heel and moving toward the door.

"See you down there."

Blake nodded, looking around the room as Yang disappeared, the door closing quietly behind her. Yawning once more, she threw back the blankets covering her waist and slowly pushed herself to the edge.

Standing slowly, she unfolded the towel wrapped around her chest and checked on the bandage Yang had affixed to her stomach last night. It seemed to be holding, and there were no signs of blood staining the bandage, so she hadn't torn it last night in her sleep.

Padding toward her pack on silent feet, she bent down and retrieved a handful of clothing.

With thoughts of Weiss on her mind, she busied herself getting dressed.

Dropping the towel to the floor, Blake threw her clothes onto the foot of the bed. Pulling out her first article of clothing, she shook it out in an attempt to get rid of some wrinkles before pulling it over her head. It was a thin black cotton sleeveless shirt with a plunging V-neck that clung tightly to her upper body. It used to have sleeves at one point, but she had long since hacked them off. In the heat of Nova's summers, sleeves were useless, and the thinness of the fabric meant it was equally useless, if not moreso, as an undershirt in the winter.

Tight black pants followed her shirt, form fitting but not uncomfortably so. Socks followed, then she slid her feet into her worn brown leather boots, taking care to do the laces up snugly.

Reaching up to her head, she pulled off her bandana, closing her eyes as she allowed her ears to relax a moment. They were sore, and very stiff.

Slowly she worked them through their full range of motion, flicking this way and that as she picked up the sounds of other guests in the hotel through the walls.

Looking out the window, she took in the rising sun flooding the skies in brilliant light, soaking the air with it's radiant heat even so early in the morning.

The heat was more than enough to make her drowsy, and she wanted nothing more than to curl back up in bed and go back to sleep, soaking in that glorious sunshine all day...

Eyes snapping open, she shook her head and glanced down at the bed. It was going to be hot today. Best to protect herself, and her ears, from it.

Picking up her cloak, she threw it over her head, pulling the hood down low as she wrapped it securely around her body. It was long enough to just brush the tops of her boots as she walked.

The last item she picked up was her sword. Taking care to strap it properly to her waist, she nonetheless felt awkwardly uncomfortable as she moved over to pick her pack up off the floor, grunting a bit with the effort as it strained her stomach.

Slinging it over her shoulder, she glanced around the room for anything forgotten. Deeming herself satisfied, she grabbed the door and swung it open.

No doubt Yang was waiting for her in the lobby.

Moving down the hall, Blake emerged into the main lobby, where sure enough, Yang was leaning against the front desk with her back to Blake, attempting to juggle a handful of coins.

"I'm ready, Yang."

Yang, surprised by Blake's voice, jumped a bit, sending a handful of coins scattering across the floor. Turning to look at Blake, she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head as she thought about giving chase to the coins.

"Blake! Uh... yeah. I'm ready as well."

Blake arched an eyebrow. "Aren't you gonna retrieve your money?"

At the thought of scrounging around on her hands and knees looking for the coins, Yang shrugged.

"They were all copper pieces I got as change from paying for the room, so... " Yang held her hands up. "Not really worth it."

"I see." Blake said quietly. "Well, thanks for the room. I'll get you back one day. Shall we?"

Yang nodded, moving toward the front door. Pushing it open, she held it aside and gestured for Blake to step through.

Obliging her, Blake stepped through the doorway, Yang falling into step behind her as they made their way into the early morning sunlight.

"What's the plan?" Yang asked, adjusting the strap of her pack on her shoulder. She glanced at Blake, and without giving her a chance to reply, spoke again.

"Want me to carry your pack for you again?"

Blake shook her head. "No. I'm fine, thanks. Also, I don't think we need anything, do we?"

Yang copied her movements, blonde curls tickling her cheeks. "I've still got lots of snacks, and fresh food can be found in abundance in the wild."

Blake nodded. "I know that a large river cuts through our path to the north. If we need to refill our canteens, we can do it there."

"Fantastic!" Yang grinned. "Let's go!"

Blake took the lead, heading back toward the main street that cut through the town. In the sunlight, the town looked a lot different.

Most of the buildings were constructed of a dark redwood, lending the town an orderly, symmetrical appearance.

Another big part of the orderly appearance of the town was due to the cookie cutter buildings that lined the streets. With few styles of building to choose from, they repeated often. As if by design, the buildings were all attached, one after the other, down the street. Blake suspected this was to eliminate alleyways and sidestreets, places where vagrants and crooks could seek refuge, however she wondered how well the town fared in the event a building caught fire. With such a connected woodwork of buildings, it seemed a losing battle to try to contain a fire.

A closer inspection of the streets revealed they were just as clean as they appeared last night. The neatly laid brick underfoot was worn, but devoid of filth, cracks, or unevenness.

It was almost eerie how particularly well put together this town was.

"It's a bit odd, isn't it?" Yang commented from beside her, apparently reading her thoughts.

"Mmm."

"You know what it reminds me of, everything so well maintained and identical in appearance? Especially with the constant presence of soldiers? Reminds me of barracks."

Blake hummed once more, looking around the town in a new light.

"That could very well be true." Blake agreed.

"I wonder if we could a-oh, hello!"

Blake's ears twitched beneath her hood, and she tore her eyes away from the buildings to glance at Yang, her interrupted speech piquing Blake's interest.

Yang was bent over, enthusiastically petting the head of a medium sized dog that had somehow managed to sneak up to them, and Blake instantly recoiled in mild disgust, taking a step back from the offending creature.

"Ugh. What the hell is that?" Blake asked, wrinkling her nose up as the gentle morning breeze shifted, carrying with it the scent of wild dog and Yang.

"A cute widdle doggy!" Yang crooned, pulling it's cheeks out into a wide doggy grin. "Look, it's got no collar. Probably homeless and looking for food!"

"Yang... " Blake's voice took on a warning tone.

"Probably just wants someone to love him forever and ever!" Yang gushed, crouching down as she smushed the dog's pliable cheeks together. The dog tilted it's head to the side a bit, fixing Yang with a decidedly quizzical look.

"Yang." Blake's tone was a bit more strict, worry beginning to creep into her voice. There was _no way_ Yang was befriending this damn thing.

Ignoring her, the blonde leaned forward, wrapping the animal in a big hug, which the dog happily returned, tail wagging excitedly as it pawed clumsily at Yang's shoulder.

"Can we keep it?" Yang asked excitedly, ruffling the fur on the dog's back.

"No!"

"Too late." Yang grinned happily, standing. As Blake half growled, half sighed in exasperation, Yang paid her no mind as she examined the dog.

It wasn't tall by any means, but it wasn't small either. It's shoulder came up to her mid thigh, and it had short golden fur with a belly of white. Each of it's four legs carried the same golden fur, but the paws were white, making the dog look like it was wearing little booties.

Sharp triangular ears that were borderline too big for it's sleek head stood up tall and straight, proudly sampling the morning sounds around it as it looked from Yang to Blake, pink tongue hanging out as it panted happily.

"Ohhhh God, isn't he just the cutest?" Yang squealed, giggling.

Blake didn't bother responding, walking around the pair in a wide berth as she headed back toward the main road.

"Blake?" Yang called, confused. When she received no response, she threw her hands up in the air helplessly.

"Blaaaaake! What the hell!"

Blake didn't slow as she strutted away, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders.

"If you and that mutt want to hurry up, maybe we can get somewhere today." She called out over her shoulder, aggravation clear in her voice. With any luck, Blake thought, the dog would be found by it's owners before they left the town.

Yang grinned, taking that as acceptance. Patting her leg to coax the dog to follow her, she trotted off after the dark haired woman.

* * *

It was barely after sunrise, however that bore no meaning for the red-head sitting at the bar. She was the sole occupant, given that the bar was closed to the public until opening hour, which was later in the afternoon.

Bright, emerald green eyes stared at the glass in front of her, eyes tracing the ice cubes that sat in the amber liquid inside.

"It's not like an officer to turn down free alcohol." A calm, expressionless man approached her from behind the bar, in his hand a tall glass bottle of alcohol.

"Is that not top shelf enough for you?" He asked, a rare smile playing about his lips as he grabbed the cork and replaced it in the mouth of the bottle.

The red-head looked up at him, her eyes seeming to refocus as she was snapped out of whatever trance she'd been in.

"Sorry, Ren, no. It's great stuff, it's just... "

The man raised a single eyebrow, encouraging her to share her troubles.

Her chainmail shirt slithered and hissed as she reached out, picking up the glass and raising it to her lips. Tossing back the alcohol, she set the glass down with an authorative thud as a blonde slid silently into the seat beside her.

"Coco reports those two leaving town to the north. A stray dog seems to be accompanying them."

The red-head spared the blonde a sidelong glance.

"You're certain it's the same two you encountered last night?" She asked.

The blonde nodded. "Absolutely. Those cloaks aren't hiding much, especially such distinguished wild blonde hair. Not to our trained eye. It's them, Pyrrha. I guarantee it."

Pyrrha hummed softly.

"Ok. Jaune, we'll give them a bit of a headstart. No need to get carried away so close to town. Once they've gotten a lead on us, we'll grab horses. Track them down. If we time it right, and find them near the north river, we can dump their bodies in the water. No one will ever find them."

The blonde nodded silently, turning away from the red-head and resting his chin in the palm of his hand. Wordlessly, he stared at the bartop in front of him.

"Those are the orders, then?" He asked finally. "To kill them?"

"Straight from the Rose Commander's lips herself." Pyrrha responded quietly.

"The Rose Commander ordered such a thing?" Jaune's voice was filled with doubt.

"Her orders came from our allies, the Winchesters. There's no point allowing them to live if their sole mission is to disrupt the royal wedding. We have no choice."

Jaune hummed softly, as if he wasn't totally convinced.

Reaching out, Pyrrha slung her arm over Jaune's shoulder, pulling him into a side hug.

"I know you're conflicted, but orders are orders." She said roughly. He feebly struggled in her grip, not seriously attempting to free himself, but all pretenses of escape were given up when she gently kissed the top of his head.

"I fell in love with that part of you that believes there's always a better option, and I hope you never lose that part of you." She muttered softly, so quietly that he could barely hear.

"But some days you need to hide that innocence from the work that has to be done in order to secure a brighter tomorrow for the citizens of our country."

He nodded, his cheek sliding against cold, unforgiving chainmail ringlets.

"Now, come on!" Pyrrha said, releasing him and rapping her knuckles on the bartop to summon the bartender.

"Drink up! Us officers can't let our privileges go to waste."

Jaune chuckled despite himself, straightening up on his bar stool as he raised his eyes to the selection of alcohol along the wall behind the bar.

"What'll it be, Jaune?" Ren asked, carefully measuring out a splash of alcohol into Pyrrha's empty glass.

Jaune squinted at the back wall, unable to read most of the labels. Feeling he was about to make a proper fool of himself, he hesitated, earning another quizzical side-glance from Pyrrha.

"Uh, er- I'll try that one." He stuttered, pointing to a pure white bottle with a black cap.

Pyrrha snickered into her glass, muffling the sound with the clinking of ice cubes. It was clear that Jaune wasn't a seasoned, educated drinker, but she spared him the embarrassment.

"Excellent selection." Ren advocated smoothly, winking at Pyrrha. She grinned in return, swirling her glass gently as she clutched the rim of the glass in her fingertips.

As Ren poured out a splash for Jaune, Pyrrha watched him from the corner of her eye as he stared at the alcohol dubiously.

"I've never had that one before." Pyrrha said, raising her glass to her lips and taking another sip. "You'll have to let me know how it is."

Jaune nodded slowly, eyebrows furrowing lightly as he concentrated on something. After a moment, he too raised his glass, taking a more more timid, experimental sip.

An eyebrow rose in surprise, and he took another sip, this one more of a gulp.

"It's not bad at all." He said, voice carrying a hint of surprise.

Pyrrha smiled lightly.

"Here, lemme try."

Reaching over, she took the glass from his hand, bringing it to her nose to sniff experimentally. Tilting it to her lips, she took a sip, letting the liquid wash over her tongue and saturate her tastebuds.

"Yeah, " She nodded, swallowing, "That is good." She pushed the glass back over to Jaune, who nodded slowly.

"Something wrong?" Pyrrha asked quietly.

Jaune shrugged, not looking up at her.

"I'm fine." He said softly. "Just... in a hurry to get out of here, I suppose."

Pyrrha said nothing as she looked back to the bar, losing herself in her thoughts as the time ticked by.

* * *

"Time for a break?" Yang asked, reaching up to wipe at the sheen of sweat adorning her forehead. The back of her hand came away soaked, and did nothing to remedy the sweat dripping into her eyes.

Beside her, Blake came to a stop, nodding solemnly as she settled her eyes on the river before her. She too was sweating profusely, but hadn't been as vocal about it as Yang.

"I suppose we could stop."

Yang sighed in relief, pulling her water canteen from her hip and taking a swig.

Sensing a break, the dog that had been following them spun in place for a few seconds, before flopping over onto it's side, panting lightly.

"We need to name him." Yang spoke.

"I don't have to do any such thing."

"Right. Okay. Pick a letter, Blake."

"Why?"

"'Y' is your letter?" Yang asked, puzzled.

Blake sighed as she shrugged off her pack.

"No, I mean, why, w-h-y, why should I pick a letter?"

"Because I asked you to?"

Blake pondered that a moment, before shrugging as she sat cross-legged on the ground. Pulling her pack toward her, she opened the top and began rifling through it.

"Okay, fine. Z, why?"

Yang tapped her chin with a slender forefinger, before dropping to the ground ungracefully beside Blake.

"Zwei. We'll name him Zwei."

"That's a stupid name." Blake scoffed.

Yang looked mildly hurt as she reached over and dug through Blake's bag of jerky.

"That was a bit uncalled for." Yang replied. "Especially since you have no interest in assisting me in the naming process."

Blake rolled her eyes, but dropped the topic, instead pondering if she could get away with bathing in the river to remove the dried sweat and dirt from her skin.

"Yang, do you think we could take turns bathing in the river?"

Yang shrugged. "I don't see why not. It's a good idea, actually. I'd love the chance to cool off."

Blake hummed.

"Why take turns though?" Yang asked, puzzled. "You overwhelmed by all of this?" Yang spoke jokingly, bringing her arms together to push out her chest.

The noise Blake made was a mix between impatience and disgust.

"Someone needs to guard our things at all times. Thieves are rampant out here."

"Oh." Yang dropped her arms, relaxing. "That makes sense."

"I'd love to go first." Blake eyed the somewhat fast moving water that burbled along the bank beside them. It wasn't fast enough to create white water, but it wasn't a slow trickle by any means.

Yang waved her hand at Blake, before leaning back on her palms.

"By all means, fill your boots."

Blake glanced at Yang.

"Fill your-?" Blake paused, and her eyes narrowed as she tilted her head to the side.

"It mean-"

" _Shutup._ " Blake hissed, waving a hand at Yang. Yang fell silent, studying Blake's face intently. Blake's eyes widened, then she jumped to her feet, surprising Yang. Jumping to Yang's side, Blake roughly hauled Yang to her feet, clamping her hand over Yang's mouth before the blonde could protest.

 _"Hide in the tall grass, and do not make a fucking sound."_ Blake whispered, roughly shoving Yang into a thatch of grass that was growing alongside the trail that wound along the river.

Stumbling at the unexpected shove and confused as to what was going on, Yang tripped and landed roughly on her face in the grass, cursing softly to herself as she spat out various greeneries. She was about to push herself to her feet, and Blake must have sensed that, for Blake swiftly kicked her boot, keeping her down.

Just then, the sound of hooves beating the ground reached her ears, and Yang pressed herself to the dirt to stay hidden, thoughts of the thieves Blake had mentioned previously filling her mind.

Yang couldn't see through the grass, but she could easily hear as horses - it sounded like two, she thought - drew closer, until it sounded like they were right on top of her.

Closing her eyes and pressing herself flat to the ground, Yang listened intently.

"Greetings from the Rose Army." A feminine voice called out, and Yang heard Blake hum vaguely.

"Where's your partner?" A boyish voice this time, reached Yang's ears.

"She's out foraging, not that it's any of your business." Blake responded snippily.

"Sorry, but, you're well within Rose Army territory. It is indeed our business." The girl spoke out.

"What do you want?" Blake asked, impatience clear in her voice.

"We have reason to suspect that you're travelling with intention to disrupt the Winchester royal wedding. If you wouldn't mind coming back to town with us, we have a few questions for you."

"Suspect whatever you want, but you can ask me what you need to right here." Blake's voice was defiant, and Yang couldn't hide the smirk as she realized that Blake _really_ hated authority.

"That's not going to work for us... what is your name?"

Yang could practically hear Blake's smirk as she pressed her cheek to the ground, the scent of dirt and moisture filling her nostrils.

"You think I'm going to disrupt a royal wedding but have no idea who I am? Your informant is doing poorly at his job."

Yang's grin disappeared as she heard the sound of a sword being drawn.

"I'm sorry, Blake. We had hoped this would go more smoothly than it has so far. Please, cooperate with us, or there will be severe consequences."

Yang's ears were met with the sound of the two dismounting their horses.

Yang's pulse skyrocketed, her heart pounding out a frantic beat in her chest. Unsure of what to do, she weighed the pros and cons of revealing herself.

"And if I don't?" Blake's voice was threatening.

Yang chanced lifting her head a few inches to turn it from the right to the left, and as she did so, she spotted a fair sized rock a foot away from her face.

Better than nothing, she supposed.

Carefully snaking her arm through the grass, her fingers closed around the cold, smooth stone, and she silently wrenched it from the earth.

It was a fair bit bigger and heavier than she had first anticipated.

"We'll take you by force, if necessary."

Blake sighed, and Yang heard another sword being drawn.

"Let's get to it, then." Blake's voice was tired and resigned, and if she were scared of swinging a sword for the first time against what sounded like well trained soldiers, she gave no indication of it in the tone of her voice.

There was a moment of silence, and then the sound of a third sword.

"I'd really hoped we could have avoided this." The girl spoke apologetically.

"Well, unfortunately for the two of you, we can't."

Yang slowly pushed herself up, chancing revealing herself as she tried to get a look at the situation. As luck would have it, the two soldiers had their backs to Yang, and Yang looked past them to Blake, who was wielding her sword with a look of grim determination on her features.

The blonde boy, on Yang's right, stepped forward and swung his sword at Blake.

The reaction from Zwei was instantaneous as he jumped up and began barking like mad.

Yang took advantage of the noise to rise to her feet fully, her heart pounding in her chest as she moved toward the lone redhead in front of her. With them both having their backs to her, Yang had the advantage of surprise, and she raised the rock as high as she could before bringing it down with all her might. At the last second she backed off most of her power before the stone made contact with her skull, wincing in sympathetic pain as the resounding _crack_ seemed to echo throughout the air.

The redhead dropped, blood immediately erupting from her head as she cried out in pain.

Yang dropped the rock as the redhead raised her hands to clutch at the back of her head, and Yang was surprised that the girl was still conscious. She hadn't intended to kill the girl, sure, but she had thought at least that she'd knock her unconscious.

"Pyrrha!" The blonde glanced over his shoulder at hearing the noise, eyes widening at the sight of Pyrrha on the ground, bleeding from her head with Yang standing over her.

"Bitch!" He growled, moving to the side to eliminate the position of having Yang be behind him. Returning his focus to Blake, he lunged forward and extended his sword in a swift thrust.

Blake dodged it effortlessly, but it was clear that her skill over her sword was as poor as her skill over her body was great. She chanced a return slash, one that the boy effortlessly knocked aside.

Yang tore her eyes away from the fight and focused on the girl at her feet. She had no real desire to kill the girl, which was probably why her strike hadn't been as powerful as she had thought.

Leaning down, she relieved the redhead of her sword and shield before surreptitiously checking on the extent of the wound.

If she received medical attention, she'd be just fine.

A cry from Blake had Yang raising her head in time to see the blonde boy swinging his sword horizontally, Blake's blade knocked from her hands with the force of the strike. Without a second's hesitation, he advanced on her with the intent to kill.

"Touch her and the redhead dies!" Yang yelled, panic coursing through her body as she clutched the sword tightly, raising it above her head and positioning it above the girl.

The blonde paused, glancing over his shoulder to see Yang, the sword trembling in her grip.

"I'm serious." Yang warned.

The boy lowered his sword a fraction, unsure of what to do. Glancing down at the supine girl, it was all the distraction Blake needed to lunge forward, drawing a dagger from her hip and plunging it deep into the boy's side, finding a gap between his armor and slipping her blade between his ribs.

His cry of pain was choked out, his eyes widening as he fell to his knees. Blood spurted from the wound, covering Blake's hand in hot, sticky blood.

With a sickening squelching sound, Blake tugged her dagger free, using her foot to kick him over onto his back.

As he began gasping for breath, Yang knew instantly that Blake had punctured a lung.

And from the looks of how easily it had been done, it was possible that this wasn't her first time.

Grimacing, Yang turned her eyes to Blake, whose expression was devoid of emotion as she stared at her.

"Let's get moving. Immediately." Blake glanced at the dog, who was still growling.

"And get that damn dog to shut up."

"Zwei, c'mere." Yang said quietly, shock setting in as her adrenaline burned off. The dog stopped barking, and trotted to Yang's side.

"D-do we... finish them off? Put them out of their misery?" Yang asked, pointedly avoiding looking at the blonde boy gasping for breath and bleeding out on the ground beside Blake.

"Go for it, if you want." Blake shrugged, moving toward the river. Kneeling down, she plunged her hand into the fast moving river, washing away the blood that coated her blade and her forearm.

Yang swallowed thickly, unsure of what to do. She didn't want to kill someone, but for them to suffer...

She forced herself to look at the pair of bodies on the ground, the redhead now crawling along the ground toward her downed partner.

She balked, turning away and grabbing her pack from the ground as she chased after a now receding Blake.

 _Hopefully someone finds them._ She thought uncomfortably, guilt beginning to set in as they left the pair to die in the dirt.


	8. Interlude

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Eight

* * *

"That almost didn't seem real." Yang muttered, quickening her pace to fall in line beside Blake.

"How do you mean?"

Yang glanced at her. "Two inexperienced fighters against two soldiers? If I were a paranoid type, I'd say that was almost too easy and convenient."

Blake shrugged. "Never underestimate the value of the element of surprise." Golden eyes glanced up at Yang.

"Thank you, by the way." Blake said. "For helping. It's not your fight, which is why I hid you, but I appreciate your assistance. I couldn't have done it without you."

Yang shrugged, her conflicting emotions warring with each other inside her head.

"I couldn't let anything happen to you." She muttered quietly.

"Because I'm your losing streak." Blake smiled.

Yang smirked briefly, glad for a bit of humor to temporarily lift her spirits.

"Because you're my losing streak." She agreed.

Blake glanced down at Yang's hand, raising an eyebrow.

"Taken the girl's sword as a souvenir?" Blake asked.

Yang looked down at her hands, noticing for the first time that she was still clutching the redhead's sword.

"Err... I guess I never dropped it."

"You'd do well to keep it. Rocks won't win all the time."

Yang chuckled despite the situation, unsure of what to do with the sword now that she'd been made aware of it.

"Besides, " Blake continued, "It would be nice to have someone to train against. That fight was a fluke, and I don't think we'll ever get that lucky again."

"You're committed now, eh?" Yang asked, sobering up as she realized that Blake had taken a life in her quest to find her girlfriend.

Blake immediately picked up on what Yang meant.

"I won't stop until I'm dead." Blake affirmed. "I'll pile the bodies higher than the tallest mountains until I find Weiss, or until I'm struck down myself."

Yang shook her head.

"There's still time for you to back out." Blake said quietly. "You haven't killed anyone. This isn't your fight. Run away. I wouldn't blame you."

Yang tilted her head back and turned her eyes up to the afternoon sky.

"And miss all the action? I wouldn't dream of it."

Blake nodded, extending her right hand toward Yang.

"If you're serious, then it would be an honor."

Yang hesitated for just a moment, before looking into serious, solemn amber eyes. Seeing the conviction reflected in them, she couldn't help herself. Yang reached out and took her hand, clutching it tightly.

"Let's do it, then."

* * *

"Do you need help changing your bandage?" Yang asked as she flopped upon the ground.

Blake shook her head.

"No, I should be fine on my own."

Yang nodded, suppressing a yawn.

They had traveled off the beaten path, fear of retaliation forcing them to abandon their route. After an hour of travelling, Blake had suddenly started cursing, saying that they had messed up. They should have taken the time to dump the bodies in the river and made an attempt to clean up the scene of the fight.

The horses had taken off in a fright at the first clash of a blade, so they were of little consequence unless they wandered back into town. But the bodies were very visible, and very recognizable. Anyone who reported them would be able to identify them, and that meant that the mission they were on would be known.

It would be obvious that Blake and Yang were the murderers.

Yang, for her part, had done her best to try to calm Blake down, but she was having none of it. Instead, Yang had resigned herself to listening to Blake freak out, listening to the distraught girl as a small part of her realized that although she hadn't directly murdered anyone, as it was likely the redhead was fine, she was still an accomplice to murder, and probably ten other different charges that the Rose Army could levy against her if they were caught.

That realization did the knot of nervousness in her stomach no favours, and she suppressed the thought in favor of trying to find a way out of their current predicament.

In reality, there was no easy solution. They were fugitives, on the run from the Rose Army, which was aligned with the Winchesters, of whom they were trying to sabotage a wedding.

Yang sighed in exasperation.

How quickly her adventure had unraveled.

"Want to spar a bit before we stop to bathe?"

Yang was shaken from her thoughts as Blake's voice reached her ears. Blinking her thoughts away, she raised her head to look at Blake, who was holding her sword tightly in her hand.

Glancing down to the sword that she had taken from the redhead, Yang took a moment to process the request before looking back up at Blake inquisitively.

"Really? Me? I don't know the first thing about fighting with a sword."

"All the more reason to learn, and sooner the better." Blake said.

Yang thought about it for a moment, before relenting.

"I suppose, when you put it like that." Yang agreed. Pushing herself to her feet, she pulled the sword up into the closest approximation of a stance she could think of, hoping she didn't look too foolish. Stepping to the side, she put some distance between herself and her pack that lay on the ground, lest it become a tripping hazard.

"Whenever you're ready." Yang spoke.

Blake wasted no time in dashing forward, slashing her sword sideways in an attack that Yang barely got her sword twisted around in time to block, her pulse skyrocketing as she wondered what Blake's plan was if she hadn't reacted in time.

The sword vibrated painfully in her hands as Blake's blade clanged off it, and the noise rung loudly in her ears.

Yang had barely recovered before Blake was pressing the attack, broadcasting her moves with exaggerated swings and slow motions that nonetheless Yang still had trouble reacting to, every iota of her being dedicated to reacting as best she could and simply surviving Blake's bladed onslaught.

Yang backpedaled vigorously, allowing Blake to press the advantage as she desperately sought an opening. Eventually, however, Yang began to notice a pattern to Blake's attacks, and slowly, Yang began to set herself up.

When Blake rose her sword over her head in preparation for a mighty downward strike, sweat beading on her forehead from the effort, Yang raised her sword as if to block, even as she slid her left foot out a bit further than necessary to give herself room to work.

As Blake's sword came slicing down through the air, Yang dropped her sword low, hopping to the right.

As she had hoped, Blake stumbled on by, fully expecting her sword to meet Yang's and having no way to recover when the force of her strike met empty air and carried her tumbling to the ground.

Yang snickered as she lowered her sword, advancing slowly on the girl with her face in the dirt.

"Looks like you got too carried away, Bl-"

Yang was cut off as Blake rolled over, sitting up and whipping her arm out, sword in hand. Yang leaned back as the tip of the blade narrowly missed her nose, caught off guard as Blake pushed herself to her feet.

"Whoa, little close for comfort, there." Yang laughed nervously as she stepped back, bringing her sword up once more to defend against Blake.

Blake didn't rush the attack, however. Raising her free hand, she taunted Yang, beckoning her to come closer.

"As you wish." Yang shrugged. Stepping forward, she lead with a messy stab. It was easily knocked aside by Blake's sword, and countered by an upward swing that just missed Yang, causing the blonde to curse and take another step back.

Blake surveyed her with a guarded stare, and Yang, not waiting for Blake to decide on a move, swung her sword from left to right in a backhanded swing.

Blake brought her sword up to block it instead of evading, and it was exactly what Yang was hoping for as she leaned into the strike with all of her might.

Their swords met with a mighty clash, the brute force of Yang's strike wrenching Blake's weapon from her hand. It tore from her grasp and spun into the dirt some distance away, the evening sun glinting off it's marred surface.

"My win." Yang declared, leveling her sword at Blake's face imperiously.

Scowling, Blake reached up and shoved the blade away with the flat of her palm, making her way toward her sword to retrieve it from the dirt.

"Didn't that Rose Army soldier knock your sword from your hand as well?" Yang asked curiously, spinning her sword around with a flourish before ramming the point into the earth at her side.

"He did." Blake replied stonily, carefully wiping off her blade before returning it to its sheath.

"Have you got weak wrists or something?"

Blake's only reply was a haughty glare, earning a burst of laughter from Yang.

"Well, no matter. We'll keep practicing, and with any luck, our skill will improve faster than we can find ourselves in trouble."

"Whatever." Blake's tone was sour. "If you'll take first watch, I'm going to go bathe."

Yang nodded, placing her hand upon the handle of her sword. Pulling it from the dirt, she laid it across her shoulders before making her way over to her pack. Carefully sitting down beside it, she laid her sword down on the ground at her side before turning back to Blake.

"Don't be too long, and let me know if you need help with your wound."

Blake waved off the offered help, gathering a few things before making her way to the forests edge.

"I won't be long."

With that, she disappeared silently into the brush.

* * *

Blake wasn't sure what to think.

Slowly she untied her bandanna, letting it fall to the ground as she flicked her ears free. Instantly they flitted this way and that before settling on listening behind her.

When she was sure that she was alone, and that Yang wasn't trouncing after her, she stripped off the rest of her clothes.

Far from a rushing river, the small lake she'd found her way to was less than ideal. Her every instinct told her to turn away from still-standing water, knowing full well what kind of diseases it could carry.

Still though, she was filthy, and trace amounts of blood could be seen underneath her fingernails. She stunk so badly she couldn't stand herself, and she was willing to risk getting sick for the opportunity to cleanse herself.

Now naked, her ears twitched self-consciously as she waded into the water, sharp eyes scanning the depths beneath the surface for hidden dangers as she tried to ignore the cold water against her sensitive skin.

Her feet encountered only soft sand and slippery rocks, however, and she moved deeper into the water until it covered her chest.

Unwilling to move in any further, she hesitated for only a moment before sucking in a large breath. Pinching her nose closed and squeezing her eyes shut, she dunked her head below the surface of the water, reaching down blindly with her free hand until her fingers clawed against the ground.

Scooping up a handful of sand and rocks, she surfaced, blowing out a loud breath and flicking her head back to get her wet hair out of her face.

Flicking the water from her ears, she shook her head to clear the water from her eyes before bringing the handful of sand up to her arms.

Using the wet sand as an abrasive, she scrubbed it against her skin, repeatedly dunking herself both to rinse off and collect more sand as it slipped through her fingers.

After some time she deemed herself sufficiently clean. Only then, with her task accomplished, did she bother to stop and look around.

As her eyes took in the surreal beauty of the forest surrounding her, she found herself getting lost within her thoughts.

It seemed like she had dove headfirst into a suicidal battle. While she had spoken brave words in the safety of Sun's bookstore, that day seemed so far away in comparison to the stark reality of what she had to face now.

Now, she had to back up her words of bravado, her desire to show Weiss that she truly would do anything for her.

It was terrifying, and that in itself was hard to admit.

It was terrifying to be in this fight alone, against what could possibly be the entirety of the Rose Army, and of course, the Winchesters.

Well... not entirely alone.

There was Yang.

Blake glanced over her shoulder at the way she had come, back toward the clearing where they'd stopped to rest.

Back to where Yang waited patiently for her.

Yang was a part of this now, and by her own volition.

That thought was scary too. Blake couldn't figure out why the blonde would agree to such a thing. Willfully endangering yourself for the sake of a stranger... it didn't make sense.

Surely there was something she was missing?

Blake raised a hand to rub thoughtfully at her chin, her eyes falling to the gently rippling surface of the lake.

Her other hand disappeared beneath the surface to rub at her tender belly, fingers idly tracing the puckered stitches that held her ripped flesh together.

Yang didn't make sense. Her desire to travel with Blake didn't make sense. Her selflessness didn't make one bit of sense.

Amidst the thoughts of Yang and the possibility that the blonde had secret, ulterior motives, she also remembered the way Yang had so carefully, gently, tended to her wounds.

The conflicting thoughts left her more confused than ever, and with uncertainty and fear slowly festering in the corners of her mind, Blake hauled herself from the water and began drying herself off.

It didn't take long, and before Blake was aware of it, she found herself padding softly back toward Yang.

She still didn't know what to think of the blonde, that much was sure, but her focus was singular, her goal clear. She would take whatever help she could get on that front, and not look a gift horse in the mouth.

Reaching up to make sure her bandanna was snug around her head, she stepped into the clearing, intentionally aiming for a small twig on the ground that cracked beneath her boot, alerting Yang to her presence.

"Ah, you've returned!" Yang glanced over her shoulder from where she was sitting, sword in her lap as she slowly ran a cloth along the length of the blade. Blake smirked at the sight, plodding over to sit some distance away from Yang.

"Thought you had no interest in swords?" Blake asked quietly.

Yang shrugged, glancing down at the sword in her lap.

"Well, I cleaned it up a bit and it's actually a really nice weapon. That girl must've been ranked higher than just a foot soldier, because foot soldiers don't have swords this nice."

Blake's amber eyes fell to the weapon, and she studied it with mild interest. The blade was hollow ground, the concave surfaces gleaming in the sunlight. Although the edges carried their share of nicks and gouges, proving it a battle-worn blade, there was no sign of misuse or abuse. The cross guard was nearly devoid of any damage, although what that said about the previous owner's fighting style, Blake wasn't sure. The grip was wrapped in a dark brown leather, secured with a single bronze colored rivet near the pommel. The pommel itself was devoid of any design or embellishment, save for a single set of initials; P.N.

"I suppose we should feel remorse for what we did, but in the end, they attacked us, right?"

Yang looked up at Blake as she spoke, trying her best to justify the guilt tearing through her.

Blake nodded slowly. "It wasn't our fault. We do what we must to survive. They wanted to kill us."

Yang copied Blake's gesture, eyes falling to those initials again. It was either the enemy's lives or their own. Yang knew that. But it still felt so wrong somehow...

Clutching the grip tightly in her hand, Yang gently pulled the sword off her lap and set it aside. Slowly pushing herself to her feet, Yang hooked a thumb over her shoulder in the direction that Blake had come.

"My turn for a bath. Water's that way?"

Blake nodded. "Don't drink it." She warned.

Yang offered a tiny smile, before turning on her heel.

"I'll keep that in mind. See you soon, Blake."

As Yang stepped into the forest, Zwei, who had been laying down nearby, hopped up excitedly, tail wagging back and forth. Yang, however, waved him off.

"Stay here, boy. Keep Blake company so she doesn't get lonely."

Yang barely heard Blake's snort of disgust over Zwei's whine, but the dog listened nonetheless, padding over to flop down on the ground next to Blake.

"Gross... " Blake whined.

Yang laughed. "I won't be long."

Yang carefully picked her way through the brush, noting that the vegetation got thicker and the ground got slightly more springy and damp underfoot as she went along. Knowing she must be going the right way, she stepped over a large fern-looking plant and onto a shallow bank.

Eyes cavorting over the water in front of her, she stood stock still for a moment as her ears listened for any type of sound.

Hearing nothing, she began to undress.

* * *

"What's our next move?" Yang asked, lifting her eyes from the crackling fire in front of her to gaze at Blake across from her. The shifting firelight danced across Blake's features and turned her normally hard yellow eyes into twin pools of soft, shimmering gold.

Blake looked up from the fire as if startled back to reality, meeting Yang's gaze. Yang suppressed a shiver as she tried to ignore just how beautiful the girl appeared at this moment, choosing instead to focus on what Blake was about to say.

"We keep pressing on." Blake's voice was low, almost feral, and Yang's fingers tightened involuntarily in Zwei's fur, the dog heaving a sigh but otherwise paying her no mind.

 _What the hell is wrong with me tonight?_ Yang tore her eyes away from Blake, glancing down instead at the dog sprawled across her lap. She slowly released Zwei's fur, forcing her hand to resume the slow, methodical petting that had lulled him into a relaxed stupor.

"Tomorrow we should reach the next city. We'll have to keep a low profile-" Blake turned her glare from the fire to Yang- "No waving over the guards in this city."

Yang winced, raising a hand helplessly. "Sorry."

Blake's expression softened. "We'll get what we need and get out. On to the next town. I'd like to say I have a big, elaborate plan, but the truth is, I have no idea what tomorrow will bring. So we'll take it one day at a time, and do the best we can."

Yang nodded slowly. "Alright, then." She stifled a yawn with the back of her hand, before shaking her head.

"Bed time?" She asked, glancing up at Blake.

Blake met her gaze for a moment, before shaking her head.

"You go for it. I'll stay up and take first watch."

"Is that really necessary?" Yang asked softly, gently pushing the dog off her lap and stretching out beside him.

Blake shrugged. "Considering the only thing we have to lose is our lives, I'm willing to err on the side of caution."

Yang hummed quietly. "Fair enough. You'll wake me when you get tired, though?"

Blake nodded slowly. "Sure."

Yang patted the ground beside her head, and Zwei tilted his head at her. She patted the ground again, and he relented, laying down in the dirt before resting his head on his paws.

Scooting over, Yang laid her head down on his side, giggling as his coarse fur tickled her nose.

"G'night Blake." Yang stared at her from across the fire, smiling when Blake turned her distant, amber eyes to her.

"Goodnight Yang. See you in the morning."

Closing her eyes, thoughts of Blake filled Yang's mind unbidden as she closed her eyes, unable to get the beautiful raven-haired girl out of her mind.


	9. A Bit More Luck

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Nine

* * *

Yang awoke abruptly to the sound of clanging metal and the scuffling of feet. Instantly awake, adrenaline pounded through her veins as she clambered to her feet, hands searching the dirt around her for her sword. Incessant barking reached her ears, lending to her confusion.

"Yang!"

Blake's voice reached Yang's ears, increasing her panic and her disorientation as she tried to shake off the shackles of sleep. Yang was acutely aware of the panic in Blake's voice, and as she found her sword, she looked around to take in her surroundings as her heart pounded loudly in her chest.

Blake was currently surrounded by three armed men, each wearing a rag-tag mix of clothing that could only mean one thing: Bandits.

Yang wiped a hand across her face, her mind working furiously to figure out a plan of action. Quickly she took stock of the situation.

There appeared to only be three of them, and a quick glance around herself revealed no one else that she could see.

 _Three bandits versus two untrained travellers... this'll go over well._ Yang thought, fear and anxiety festering in the pit of her stomach as she slowly approached the men, her sword held at the ready.

One of them broke off from Blake to focus on her, a deadly looking short sword held loosely in his grasp. He was tall, fairly skinny, with a long scraggly beard, and looked like he knew how to fight.

Yang tightened her grip on her sword as sweat ran down her wrists and pooled against the leather grip, making it slippery against her palm. She wasn't really sure how to fight, but she knew she at least had a small ranged advantage, given that her sword was double the length of his.

Taking in a deep breath, Yang decided that there was no point hesitating. As terrified as she was, it was now or never.

Yang lunged forward with a vicious roar, intending to catch her opponent off guard as she raised her sword up above her head.

Her opponent wasn't fazed, however, and having experience on his side, knew that he couldn't block such a heavy weapon with his relatively light sword. Being light and fast on his feet, he dodged to the left as Yang missed with her wild strike, and he circled around her, waving his blade at her tauntingly.

Yang cursed inwardly at the reversal of their positions, now with her back to the two men that were fighting Blake. From behind her, she could hear Blake's grunts of frustration and the clash of metal as she somehow held her own against the two.

 _Gotta finish this fast and help Blake...!_

Yang swung her sword from right to left in a clumsy strike that was easily parried, her opponent stepping close and effortlessly running the tip of his blade up her side.

Yang bit back a scream as the blade opened up a gash along her rib cage, cursing loudly as she stumbled backward out of his range.

He had her on the run, however, and she knew it, as she backpedaled away from his advances. He wore a grin on his face as he realized she was out classed, and she could do nothing but wildly parry his strikes as he sussed her out.

"Drop your sword and give up your valuables and no one has to die." He said, his sword jabbing toward her a bit more swiftly than before.

Yang jumped back, nearly tripping as she fought to regain her balance. She could feel hot blood coating her skin along her right side, and she was rapidly losing strength.

Her teeth ground together painfully as she suppressed a scream of pain and frustration, and she risked a glance in Blake's direction to see how she was faring.

The glance lasted just long enough to see that Blake was unharmed and still standing, before Yang turned her gaze back to the man in front of her. She had to think of something before she bled out and became too weak to do anything.

Her sword was growing heavier by the second as she lifted it this way and that to parry his light, swift strikes, and her mind worked in overdrive as she tried to think of a solution. There had to be a way to use her swords length and her weight against him.

Her opportunity came when he swung his sword horizontally at her, and instead of raising her sword to merely block the strike, she poured as much power as she could muster into an opposing strike. Of course, two horizontally swinging blades could easily miss each other with no contact at all, but she kept her gaze focused on his wrist, and was rewarded with a loud clash of metal on metal as her sword met his.

Before he could react, she let go of her sword, letting it fly away as she swiftly closed the distance between them. Lowering her shoulder and driving her heels into the ground, she plowed into him with as much force as she could, planting her shoulder into what she hoped was his solar plexus in an attempt to knock the wind out of him.

Her hit was rewarded when he was knocked clean off his feet, and she carried the momentum forward as she followed him to the ground.

"Skinny bastard." She growled, scrambling to stay atop him as she raised her left fist up into the air.

With absolutely no hesitation, she dropped her fist into his face over and over again, each strike filling her vision with red and sending an unquenchable anger through her veins as she struck him over and over again.

When her fist began to ache too painfully, she switched to her elbow, striking him repeatedly as she ignored his yelps of pain and flailing arms.

"Get the fuck off!" Yang roared as his flailing hands managed to grab at her shirt, scratching at her face as his fingernails dug into her skin. Pausing in her assault, she grabbed his hands and bent his thumbs back ruthlessly, ignoring the feeling of popping tendons as he screamed in pain, his hands going limp in her grasp.

Forcing his arms down, she pinned them to the ground with her knees before resuming her barrage, her strikes slipping off his face and impacting the ground as his face became slippery with blood.

Only when she ran out of breath did the haze of anger fade from her mind, the red tint that seemed to fill her vision slowly disappearing as she gulped down air.

She had no time to recover though, and she scrambled to her feet unsteadily as she glanced around for her blade. Finding it in the dirt some feet away, she bent over and picked it up, trying her best to ignore the way bursts of light seemed to explode in her vision as she did so.

"I'm coming Blake!" Yang yelled, moving toward the remaining two enemies as Blake ducked a swift slash aimed at her head.

Blake wasn't so quick to dodge the next strike, however, and Yang's heart shot up into her throat, immediately fearing the worst as a sword struck her in the side of the head.

A pained cry from Blake told Yang that she was badly hurt, and Yang could see that Blake's bandanna had been knocked askew, blood pouring from a wound on the side of her head.

Hearing Yang's approach, one of the remaining bandits broke off from the fight with Blake, turning instead to deal with the blonde.

It was a one-on-one fight now for the both of them, and Yang was determined to skewer this bastard as quickly as possible.

"Leave us, and never come back, and we'll let you live." Yang spoke, attempting to ward them off without further fighting. The man in front of her, a bit shorter than her previous foe, merely shrugged.

"Ah cannae do that now."

Yang copied his gesture, lifting her left shoulder in a half shrug as her right side cried out for a break.

"It's your death, then."

Without waiting for a response, Yang charged in, intent on separating his head from his body with a mighty horizontal swing.

He stepped back and narrowly avoided the strike, however, and Yang feared the worst as she momentarily over-extended, leaving herself vulnerable.

He didn't take the opportunity to attack, however, merely studying her as she readjusted her stance.

"Ye've not held a sword nary a minute." He said, though there was no trace of taunting or condescension in his speech.

"Long enough for the likes of you." Yang shot back, trying to hide the wound on her side even as blood began soaking her clothing.

He was about to respond, when a squelching sound followed by a dull thud caught their attention. Glancing over, they saw Blake pulling her sword from her enemy with one hand, while the other reached up to cradle her bleeding head.

"Two on one now, still can't run?" Yang asked, as Blake approached from behind. He glanced from Yang to Blake, then shrugged once more.

"I s'pose these aren't fair odds for me, aye. Best takin' mah leave."

With that, before Yang or Blake could react, he turned tail and took off into the forest, disappearing swiftly into the brush. Yang stared after him for a moment, sword at the ready in case he returned. When it was obvious that he had no intention of returning to an unfair fight, Yang slowly relaxed, tension bleeding from her shoulders as they drooped. Her fingers ached painfully as she clenched her sword too tightly, and she had to force her fingers to relax on the handle.

"Is yours dead?" Blake asked, her weapon clattering to the ground as she dropped it. She followed it a second later, collapsing roughly to the dirt as she cradled her head in both hands.

Yang glanced over to the body she'd left lying on the ground, and for a moment she wondered if she had actually punched a man to death. Then she saw his chest move, just the slightest amount, and she shook her head.

"Nope." She replied, "He's still alive."

"Want me to finish him?" Blake asked, pain evident in her voice as she looked up pitifully at Yang.

Yang's stomach turned at the sight of so much blood coating Blake's face, matting her hair to her skull in disgusting, dark red clumps.

"I think we'd better tend to your wound first." Yang spoke up, dropping to her knees in front of Blake and setting her sword aside. "That looks really serious."

Blake whimpered in pain, unable to contain it anymore even as she shied away from Yang's outstretched hands.

"I'm fine, Yang." Blake said, her voice catching in her throat.

"You're not." Yang replied, confusion coloring her tone as she shuffled closer to Blake.

"It's-It's nothing." Blake's voice broke, and Yang's lilac eyes widened in concern as she saw tears begin to form in the corners of her eyes, spilling out and cutting a path through the blood on her cheek.

"It's obviously not nothing." Yang growled, impatience setting in as she reached up to forcibly wrench Blake's hands away from her head.

Another whimper of pain, however, had Yang hesitating, unwilling to cause more pain and damage to her friend. Blake was trembling violently beneath her touch, and Yang had to choke back the feeling of fear and despair that pulsed through her, the kind of despair that made her feel like Blake might not actually be okay.

"Blake, please." Yang softened her stern voice into a more soothing tone, hoping it would get Blake to listen to her.

"Blake, baby, I'm your friend, okay? I'm here to make sure you're okay, and whatever is hurting, we can't let it go untreated. Please, show me your wound, or else I can't make it all better."

Blake opened up wide, terrified golden eyes, looking to Yang as her bottom lip trembled.

"Whatever it is, you won't be mad?" Blake asked.

Yang's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Won't... be mad?"

Blake breathed in deeply before exhaling a shuddery breath, blood leaking out from between her fingers as she shifted.

"Just promise me, okay?"

Yang nodded mutely, wondering if Blake was going into shock. She wasn't making any sense, and had suffered a severe head wound. If she didn't get help immediately, she might not survive.

"I-I promise, Blake. Now let me see."

This time, Blake let Yang gingerly pry her hands away from her head, the tattered, bloody remains of her bandana stuck to her fingers. Yang sucked in a breath as she laid eyes upon a bloody, torn section of flesh, and for a minute she couldn't make sense of what she was looking at.

 _Had the sword split her head open? What the hell am I even looking at?_

Yang's eyes slid to the undamaged side of Blake's head, and there, pressed flat against her skull, was an odd, triangular protrusion, covered in bloody fingerprints and tangled in messy strands of hair.

"What... am I... ?" Yang squinted as she moved closer, then it suddenly dawned on her what she was looking at. Eyes widening in surprise, she jolted back, realizing that she was looking at two distinctly non-human ears attached to Blake's head, the one on the left side of her head nearly sliced completely in half.

Yang felt her stomach flip at the thought, and she suppressed the urge to dispense the contents of her stomach onto the ground. Blake- whatever she was- desperately needed her, and throwing up now would not be helpful in the slightest.

Still, Yang thought, as she gingerly picked at the matted, bloody hair surrounding the nearly severed appendage, she had never seen so much torn flesh before.

Steeling her nerves in an attempt to quell her shaking fingers, she gently raked back as much hair as she could from Blake's distinctly inhuman appendage. The part of her mind that was slowly realizing that Blake was a demon was being silenced by the part of her mind that knew she had to administer help fast, or else Blake was in serious trouble.

Pushing down her doubts, fears, and questions, Yang bit her tongue as sympathetic pains shot through the top of her head as she gingerly picked up the nearly severed ear that laid atop Blake's skull. Doing her best to ignore the raven-haired girl's whimpers of pain, Yang attempted to set it back upon the ragged base.

"Sorry, Blake... " Yang whispered, biting the tip of her tongue between her teeth.

Blake reached out and grabbed Yang's shirt, fists clenching the fabric as she whimpered pitifully.

"I've gotta go get some stuff from my pack, Blake. I'll be right back."

Blake nodded, reluctantly letting go of Yang. As Yang let go of Blake's ear, it flopped over lifelessly, tearing a bit more flesh and making Yang feel like she was going to throw up as blood oozed slowly to the surface.

Tearing her eyes away from Blake's trembling form, Yang hurriedly pushed herself to her feet, closing the short distance to where she had stashed her travel pack in seconds. Grabbing it, she nearly dropped it as it slipped from her blood-soaked fingers, and she hissed in pain as she lurched down to grab it again, her side protesting painfully.

"Fucking bastards." She muttered, turning back to Blake. Making her way back over, she took a more comfortable seat in front of Blake in preparation for the task that could end up taking a while.

Ripping open her pack, she ignored the way she was leaving bloody fingerprints across all of her belongings as she hunted for her first aid kit.

Finding it at the bottom, she pulled it out and opened it up. Immediately she sought out the needle and thread, and heaved a gentle sigh of relief as she saw that she had plenty.

It took a few attempts, but she got the thread through the needle. Pulling off a long ream, she took care not to tangle it as she glanced around for a suitable stick.

Finding one not too far away, she leaned over and picked up the small stick off the ground, brushing it off on her pantleg before offering it to Blake.

"You're gonna want this."

Blake nodded slowly, before parting her trembling lips and leaning down toward Yang.

Yang gently placed the stick between her teeth, watching as her sharp fangs sunk into the soft wood with ease.

"Im sorry for what you're about to endure Blake, but it's for the best."

Blake had no time to formulate a reply before Yang sunk the needle into the base of her ear, pulling a long trail of thread through her ear before repeating the process with her torn appendage.

Again, Blake's hands found refuge in Yang's lap, desperately clutching her shirt as Yang worked as swiftly as possible.

* * *

It was some time later when Yang was finished, and having cleaned up as best she could, she now lay against the base of a tree with Zwei at her side and Blake's head in her lap. Yang took extreme care to not brush up against the sliced up ear, instead choosing to run her fingers through Blake's bangs and hum soft, soothing tunes as Blake trembled against her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Yang eventually asked, breaking the silence as her curiosity got the better of her.

"... Tell you what?" Blake asked after a moment of silence, her tone betraying the fact that she knew _exactly_ what.

"That you were-are-" Yang corrected herself, "A demon."

In her lap, Blake smiled shakily despite the pain.

"Because I'm not, Yang."

"Huh?" Yang asked, her nose scrunching up cutely, her face the very picture of confusion.

"I'm... " Blake sighed. "I'm not a demon. I'm a half demon, which is worse. And I didn't tell you because... because there was no reason for you to know."

Yang nodded slowly. "I see." Even though she didn't quite see, not even close. Yang winced as she shifted slightly, leaning to her left to take pressure off the assortment of bandages that had been used to close up her wound.

The cut on her side had ended up not being as deep as she had thought, despite the fact that it stretched from her hip to just beneath her right breast. That was little comfort however, as pain began to set in, the adrenaline having long ago worn off. There was little she could do now about the sore muscles and torn flesh other than resting until it got better, and she could tell that Blake was as unhappy about it as she was.

"So is that the deal with your weird eye color, then?"

In her lap, Blake tilted her head back until she was looking up at Yang. She narrowed her eyes and pouted a bit, causing Yang to chuckle.

"It's not weird." Blake said, sounding slightly hurt.

Yang shrugged, careful not to jostle Blake.

"Sorry, poor choice of words. It's... different. Unusual, even. I've never seen that color of yellow before."

"Uhh, gold."

"Hmm?"

"Gold." Blake repeated, her tone indignant. "The color of my eyes is gold. Not yellow."

Yang glanced down and stared into Blake's eyes, studying the color for a long moment. As Blake stared back unblinkingly, her shallow breaths tickling Yang's blonde strands, Yang became acutely aware of just how vibrant Blake's eyes were.

At first glance they appeared to be a monochromatic yellow, devoid of any other characteristic other than the sharp black diamond shaped pupil in the center of her eye. Right now they were fully dilated, almost round in appearance, but Yang vaguely remembered catching glances of them shrunk down to diamond slits, almost swallowed up by her irises.

Her irises themselves were a deep gold, and caught the light like a multi-faceted diamond. There seemed to be flecks of actual gold embedded in her eyes, making them appear to be endlessly deep pools begging to be dived into. The way they caught the light made them appear lighter or darker, lending her eyes a depth that Yang had never noticed before.

Finally Blake blinked, looking away. Yang leaned back away from Blake, realizing that she had been slowly dipping her head toward Blake without noticing.

"Uhh... " Yang cleared her throat nervously, feeling a heat rise to the back of her neck as embarrassment colored her cheeks.

"Seems- it seems they are gold after all, my mistake." Yang said softly, looking away for a moment before her gaze was pulled inexplicably back to Blake's face.

Blake nodded, the back of her head rubbing against the inside of Yang's thigh.

"They're... really pretty." Yang offered, before mentally kicking herself.

"Thank you." Blake's voice was demure, and she refused to meet Yang's eyes.

"You're welcome." Yang said softly. ' _Just shut up before you get any more lame and awkward!'_ Yang chastised herself, closing her eyes and tilting her head back as she silently berated herself.

"No, I mean... thank you. For everything you've done. Risking your life fighting for me, cleaning me up, and... for everything else."

"Oh." Yang realized what Blake was implying. Still, she had to ask. "Did you expect me to hate you for being a demon?"

"Half demon, and yes."

"Why?"

"Because I deceived you. I'm not who you thought I was. Because a half-demon chasing _the_ Weiss Schnee _has_ to set off some sort of alarm bells in your head. I'm not safe to be around."

Yang shrugged.

"Did you deceive me? I never asked if you were anything other than human, I don't think."

Blake folded her arms across her stomach, and tilted her head back to glance up at Yang. Yang bit her bottom lip as Blake's head once more pressed against the inside of her thigh, but she did her best to ignore it.

"Remember when you asked me how I survived being stabbed in the stomach? I told you I just got lucky. The truth is, we're a bit more robust than our human counterparts."

Yang hummed quietly, her mind on a different track of thought.

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask?" Blake asked quietly, tugging Yang out of her thoughts. Yang blinked, then looked down at Blake.

"Uhh, I'm sure I'll come up with lots of questions. For now, though, not really."

"Okay." Blake fell silent, and Yang took the opportunity to stare down at Blake uninterrupted as she attempted to block out the pain.

"When do you think we should try to move again?" Blake asked after a moment, interrupting Yang's thoughts.

"The second we feel up to it."

"Are you able to walk in your current condition?"

Yang shrugged. "As long as it doesn't worsen, yeah. Although I'm thinking it wouldn't hurt for either of us to stay put until tomorrow morning."

"Should we really?" Blake asked. "That one bandit we let go knows where we are. The one you beat the life out of may regain consciousness. You wouldn't let me kill him."

Yang hummed quietly.

"Think we could make the push to town, find someplace safe to bathe and rest?"

Blake nodded. "We aren't too far, really."

"I do like the sound of a bath and a bed in a town." Yang conceded. She breathed in deeply before sighing. "Whenever you're ready, then."

"Few more minutes." Blake murmured, turning onto her right side and nuzzling into Yang's lap as her bandaged left ear stuck straight up out of her tangled mess of bloodied hair.

"Mmm."

Closing her eyes, Yang gently ran her fingers through Blake's hair, fingertips caressing the back of her neck.


	10. The Rose Commander

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Ten

* * *

Author's note: Yay, non-canon Ruby, my favourite character to go off-script with. Enjoy!

* * *

The sun was nearly setting now, the girl noted with mild interest as she glanced out the window next to her desk. Pausing in her writing as silver eyes took in the deep reds and oranges flooding the evening sky, she set her pen down and leaned back in her chair. Crossing her right leg over her left, she reached back to gather up her dark brown shoulder length hair, tying it into a loose ponytail with the aid of a red ribbon taken from her left wrist. The ponytail was anything but high and tight, a messy knot that somehow accentuated her attractive, 'couldn't care less' attitude.

She sighed as her vision blurred, staring pensively out the window but not seeing any detail as her mind wandered.

There was no reason for them to not be back by now.

Perhaps she should send another scout?

She toyed with the leather bracer covering her right wrist, blunt fingernails scratching at the dark material as she wondered where her captain was.

She should definitely be back by now.

Uncrossing her legs, she pushed her chair back from her desk and stood. Reaching up high overhead she stretched, twisting side to side as her spine cracked pleasingly. Tilting her head down and touching her chin to her chest, her neck popped uncomfortably and she winced.

She had grown quite tall over the last few years, and now twenty-three, she stood just over six foot three inches tall. Her face was slender, her frame lean. Well proportioned arms that hid her strength ended in thin, dextrous fingers. She had always enjoyed running, whether for sport or for enjoyment, and it had contributed to her exceptionally low body fat percentage. Her height, coupled with her long, powerful legs, only served to increase her speed and endurance.

Sliding a hand underneath the fitted black leather jacket that adorned her upper body, she rubbed the back of her neck, her muscles still complaining about her hunched over, head down posture from the last few hours.

Tight, form hugging tan pants clung to her lower body, showing off the curve of her powerful quads and toned calves, the barest hint of a thigh gap visible between her legs.

Her nine inch high faded black combat boots scuffed against the floor as she shuffled around, attempting to force some blood into her seized up muscles.

Tired silver eyes fell to her desk, where her weapon lay, folded up into it's compact stored form.

The weapon, largely considered a gift from the Gods, was exceptional in more ways than one. A holy relic, she owed her vast amounts of success to her discovery of this weapon. It had been extremely difficult to master, but the more she learned, the more her reputation outpaced her on the battlefield.

There were few people as dedicated to the art of war as her, and fewer still involved in warfare who didn't know who she was, or what she was known for.

Her hands clenched into fists for a moment before she relaxed, reaching out and gently picking up her beloved weapon.

It was bulky in its stored form, that much was certain. Eight or so inches wide, over two feet tall, and two and a half inches thick, give or take. Her fingers found the release button of their own acccord, and she glanced around her office out of force of habit before gently squeezing the release.

Instantly, the weapon began to unfold, the deadly blade unfurling from itself like some sort of twisted metal rose. Locking into place with an audible click, the handle shot out from the base as if under some sort of internal pressure.

The girl gripped the shaft in her hands comfortably, her eyes cavorting up and down the weapon as her eyes shone brightly in unconcealed hunger.

This weapon was a product of a different time, if the legends were to be believed. A time when incredible machinery dominated the landscape, and fantastic weapons were the norm, not the exception.

Every once in a while, someone like herself would uncover such a weapon, and hold more power in their hands than most armies.

A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts, and she paused in her admiration. Glancing at the door, she gently laid her weapon on her desk.

"Come in." She called.

The door opened, and in stepped a tall, sharply dressed woman. With long silver hair that cascaded down her back in a silken waterfall of softness, she was the very picture of striking beauty. Her fair skin was free from any imperfections, and her sky blue eyes were keen in their attentiveness.

"Rose." The girl addressed her, folding her arms behind her back and levelling her gaze at the girl.

"Please, " The girl waved her off, pulling her chair out and flopping her lanky frame into it.

"How many times must I ask, Winter? Call me Ruby." Ruby gestured toward a chair across from her as she propped her feet up on the corner of the desk.

The girl rolled her eyes, but relaxed at Ruby's gesture. Moving toward the chair, she noiselessly pulled it out before carefully setting herself upon it.

"What brings you to the office?" Ruby asked, tilting precariously to the side in her chair and reaching down to paw at the bottom-most drawer.

"I'll admit, you're not who I was expecting." Ruby continued, flailing her left arm for counter-balance as she leaned to her right, fingers scratching at the drawer handle.

Winter raised an eyebrow at the girl in front of her, but made no comment on the gangly girl's antics.

"I have some bad news." Winter spoke quietly, and that got Ruby's attention. She stopped floundering for a moment, straightening up and taking her feet off her desk.

"What is it?"

Winter stared at Ruby, pressing her lips into a thin line for a moment as she formulated her careful response.

"The party we sent to apprehend the two vagrants attempting to disrupt the royal wedding didn't return on schedule. So we sent out a scout."

Ruby nodded. So that's why she hadn't heard anything from her captain.

"Did we find Pyrrha? And Jaune?"

Winter nodded slowly. "Jaune is... in a bad way. We don't know if he will make it. He's got a nasty knife wound, and it's currently unknown the extent of the damage."

Ruby nodded solomnly, processing the information.

"And Pyrrha?"

"She's in better shape. She has a head wound, and is currently being kept for observation, for any signs of a concussion. Otherwise, she will recover soon."

Ruby hummed.

"I had no idea those two were skilled. I was under the impression that they were vagrants, unskilled losers."

Winter shrugged.

"I've no idea the extent of their skill. However, I find it interesting that neither of them were killed. Do you think it was intentional?"

Ruby shook her head, brown hair tickling her cheeks. "Unlikely that it means anything other than by incapacitating them, they hoped to incur the least minimal amount of our wrath. Too bad for them that retribution will come regardless."

"Who should we send out to track them down?" Winter asked. "Would you like me to go?"

Ruby hummed softly to herself, reaching up to run her fingers through her hair.

"I've half a mind to go hunt them down myself."

Winter stared at her, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"For such small fry? I thought you didn't get your kicks unless you were fighting an army single-handedly."

Ruby groaned, tilting her chair back on two legs as she reached up over her head to stretch out her shoulders.

"That was _one time_ , Winter."

Winter turned to glance out the window beside Ruby's desk.

"It only takes one moment for a legend to be born. You, and your weapon forged of star-stuff, there's no enemy you cannot defeat."

Ruby glanced down at her odd weapon lovingly.

"She really has taken good care of me, hasn't she?"

Winter nodded. "And you, her."

A comfortable silence stretched out between the two of them before Ruby reluctantly broke it.

"I should go see them."

Winter held up a hand.

"Not so fast. Give them time to recover a bit and come to their senses. Tomorrow. You can go see them tomorrow."

Ruby tilted her head to the side, then nodded in agreement. Looking across the desk at Winter, Ruby caught her bottom lip between her teeth, biting it nervously.

"Cardin is going to be upset that we let those two get away."

Winter shrugged. "Cardin won't say a word to you, for fear that you'll gut him like a fish. This isn't a failure on your part, so I wouldn't worry about it. As long as we catch them before they reach Citadel."

Ruby nodded slowly, her eyes already glazing over as she lost herself in thought once more.

Recognizing the look, Winter fell silent. Instead, she chose to simply study the girl, attentive gaze picking up every detail of Ruby's expressive face.

Winter secretly loved the way Ruby would zone out mid conversation, her eyes losing focus and her eyelids drooping slightly. Sometimes her cute little lips would be parted ever so slightly, sometimes moving to form whispered words as she talked herself through a problem or event. Every so often her head would tilt from left to right and back again, as if she were talking to herself and responding, considering her own words before forming an opinion on them.

It was adorable.

"You're doing it again." Ruby spoke suddenly, eyes sharpening and turning toward Winter.

Winter blinked, before straightening in her seat.

"Pardon me?"

Ruby's silver eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You're doing it again." Ruby repeated.

"You're staring at me with this this goofy smile on your face and it's creeping me out." Ruby raised a hand to indicate Winter, "If I'd let it go on any longer, I'd swear you'd start drooling."

Winter scoffed indignantly. "As if!" She retorted. " _Winter Schnee_ does _not_ drool."

Ruby regarded Winter for a moment, a smile threatening to raise the corners of her lips as she goaded her friend.

"That's funny, " Ruby began, tapping her fingers on her desk. "I seem to-"

The sound of the door opening interrupted them both, Winter glancing toward the open door with mixed feelings of annoyance and appreciation at the interruption.

"Hiya kiddo." A deep, gravelly voice greeted Ruby as an older man stepped in the door, slightly hunched over with his hands in his pockets.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby's eyes lit up at the sight of her uncle, and although she had the self-control to remain seated, she did pump both fists into the air, grinning from ear to ear.

"Qrow." Winter greeted politely.

Qrow looked from Ruby to Winter, grunting quietly as he grabbed a chair from against the wall alongside the door.

"Ah, didn't see you, there."

Winter bit her tongue to suppress the snarky response she knew damn well he was trying to elicit from her. The man could spot a copper piece glinting in the afternoon sun in the midst of a forty acre field, there was no way he hadn't seen her.

She briefly considered a saucy comeback, but decided that ignoring him would irk him more than acknowledgement. Turning to Ruby, Winter couldn't stop herself from looking the girl up and down, as if appraising a fine gem. Swiftly bringing her eyes up to meet Ruby's lest she be caught, she silently cursed as she met mirthful silver, a grin threatening to overtake the girl's graceful features.

"Something caught your attention, Winter?" Ruby teased, as Qrow noisily dropped his chair to the floor before dumping himself into it, much in the same careless way as his niece did.

Winter steadfastly held Ruby's gaze, refusing to give even an inch in front of Qrow.

"Nothing of any importance." Winter dismissed her airily with the wave of her hand. Turning to Qrow before Ruby could formulate a response, she spoke.

"Qrow, any particular reason you're here?"

Qrow shrugged, his black t-shirt stretching across his shoulders.

"I found out something interesting that I thought Ruby might like to know."

Winter rolled her eyes. "You could have just sent her a sample of the alcohol you found, Qrow. No need to personally deliver it every time."

Ruby watched the back and forth with a grin on her face, immensely enjoying the way her two favourite people always seemed to get into it whenever they met.

Qrow paused for a moment, before humming quietly.

"Thanks for reminding me that I'm out of drink." He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I got you, uncle Qrow!" Ruby exclaimed. Leaning down to the side, she pulled open the drawer she was pawing at earlier. Withdrawing a bottle and three small glasses, she set it all on the desk near her weapon.

"What are we drinking tonight, kid?" Qrow asked, interest piquing in his tone as he sat up a bit straighter.

"Ochre Field's Finest." Ruby uncorked the bottle and gently tipped the amber colored liquid into the small glasses. "A wonderful bourbon."

Winter accepted the drink slid across the desk toward her, intending on taking the smallest of necessary sips. As she looked up from the strong smelling liquid, she noted with disbelief that Qrow had already emptied his glass, holding it out toward Ruby for a refill.

"C'mon, kid, a little splash like that for a seasoned vet like me, let's not try to hurt feelings tonight." He spoke good-naturedly, nudging Ruby as she laughed.

"Anything for you, uncle Qrow." She giggled as she poured him another.

"Are we killing the bottle tonight?" Qrow asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs on the corner of her desk.

Ruby shrugged. "I've nothing on the agenda tonight."

Winter looked from Qrow to Ruby, well aware of how the younger girl idolized her uncle. Hopefully she limited what affectations of his that she decided to adopt.

"How about you?" Qrow looked to Winter, who tightened her grip on the glass in her hand.

"I've... got prior engagements." Winter spoke. "A courtesy drink, we'll call it."

"Aww!" Ruby whined. "C'mon Winter, stay and drink with us!"

Winter said nothing as she raised her glass to her lips, the smell alone making her want to bow out.

"I'll think about it." She allowed, licking her lips despite taking no pleasure in the taste of this alcohol.

"Okay!" Ruby smiled at her, the brightest, cutest smile that tugged gently at Winter's heart, making her silently bemoan her current situation.

To distract herself, she turned to Qrow.

"You've caught my interest; I'm curious as to what news you're bringing."

"Right." Qrow took another swig, before rolling his head left to right, neck cracking loudly.

"So, according to the legends, our world used to be one of great technological advancement, with fantastic machines doing every sort of bidding you could think of."

Winter hummed impatiently, not one for what she considered to be tall tales of fantasy.

"That advanced technology not only made our lives easier, but made our weapons far more deadly." He gestured to Ruby's weapon.

"A perfect example seen here."

Against her will, Winter's gaze was drawn to the beautiful, deadly weapon in front of her that she had only seen wielded by one person.

One incredibly lethal, mesmerizing person...

"We've found another one."

Winter blinked out of her reverie, glad that no one could peer into her private thoughts. Looking up at Qrow, she furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Another weapon like Ruby's?"

"Nooooo!" Ruby moaned, sweeping her weapon up off the desk to hug it, nearly knocking Qrow's drink over in the process.

"My deadly scythe is the only one of it's kind!" She wailed. "Part of it's desire is it's incredible rarity!"

"Calm down, kid." Qrow waved a hand at her, mostly to get her to stop swinging her weapon around.

"It looks nothing like yours. It's advanced like yours, but completely different."

Ruby gave pause, looking at Qrow over the top of her weapon. "How so?"

"The way the weapon is put together, its strange shape, its machinations, it's not a creation of our people." Qrow paused to drink. "And consider for a moment where it was found."

"Where?"

Winter glanced at Ruby as they both spoke the same word at the same time, and Ruby grinned brightly at her.

Before she lost herself, Winter looked away. To quell her emotions, she took another drink.

"Those ruins in the north that we're excavating. We've made some progress in the last few months. Once you get thirty feet down, the hard packed clay stops. It's soft silt as far as we can dig, and it comes out swiftly. We've uncovered what appears to be an old government building or institution of learning. It looks- predictably- like a warzone, but that's expected. And it lends a lot of credence to the old texts."

"You mean the old fairytales?" Winter scoffed derisively.

"I still can't understand why you're not a believer, especially after seeing Ruby's weapon." Qrow tossed back the rest of his drink, grabbing the bottle from the desk.

Winter gestured to the weapon still clutched tightly to Ruby's enticing chest.

"It's fantastical. I won't deny it that." Winter shook her head. "But one weapon does not make evidence for everything that you claim to be true."

"Perhaps you should see for yourself?" Qrow questioned.

Winter froze.

Ruby glanced from Qrow to Winter, pink tongue sliding across her upper lip.

"Are we travelling to the ruins? Is that what you're suggesting?" Ruby asked, beginning to get visibly excited.

In an effort to calm her leader, Winter held up a palm.

"Ruby, think for a moment." She cautioned. "Pyrrha and Jaune are out of commission, and you have a mercenary army to run. Think long and hard about whether we can up and leave on a personal crusade to change my belief in your uncle's childhood bedtime stories."

Ruby thought for a moment, then seemed to physically deflate, shoulders drooping as her head lowered slightly.

"Yeah, I suppose... "

Qrow snickered into his cup.

"Something you'd like to say?" Winter challenged, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Qrow.

Qrow looked up from his cup, the very picture of innocence as his light red eyes shifted around the room before settling on Winter.

"Uhhh, no." He shook his head. "I'm just glad that Ruby has someone a bit older and wiser to temper her... youthful volatility. To keep her thinking more than one step ahead. It's good for her."

"Qrowwww!" Ruby whined, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not a child! I don't need Winter to babysit me!"

Qrow laughed, throwing his arm around Ruby's shoulders.

"Of course not, kid."

"Seriously." Ruby insisted, pouting as she glared at her uncle. "I run a mercenary army and everything!"

Qrow raised an eyebrow over the rim of his glass.

"So I've noticed." He grinned.

"You're doing fine, Ruby. You're right, you don't need to be babysat. I'm just glad that Winter is on your side, instead of against you, that's all."

As Ruby pouted so cutely, Qrow laughed and poured another round of drinks.

* * *

"Easy now, slow down." Winter scolded gently, almost losing her balance as Ruby stumbled forward. Ruby giggled, before regaining her balance.

"Than... Thanksh for your help Winter." Ruby blinked, then furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Damn... I gotta speak slowerer."

Winter rolled her eyes as she felt Ruby's arm slide around her waist.

"Your uncle knows better than to allow you to drink so much." Winter spoke as they resumed their walk, taking careful steps toward Ruby's private quarters. Although even as she spoke, she knew her choice of words were wrong.

"No one allows me to do anything." Ruby spoke belligerently, scuffing her feet along the ground as she attempted to match Winter's pace.

"Of course not." Winter agreed.

"I'm an adult, I'm not a csh...chhh... a kid anymore. I run a mercy company."

Winter had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing at Ruby, which she knew would only hurt the young girl's feelings.

"Of course." Winter nodded, reaching down and grabbing the back of Ruby's jacket. She hauled Ruby more upright as she noticed the girl leaning further and further to the left, righting the girl as Ruby overbalanced, pushing herself up against Winter.

"How far is it to bed?" Ruby whined softly, completely switching her attitude as Winter looked anywhere but at her intoxicated leader.

"Almost there." Winter spoke softly, her tone soothing.

"Good. Good."

The rest of the walk was in silence, Winter silently praying to whatever Gods still watched over this world that Ruby wouldn't throw up tonight.

When they reached Ruby's room, Winter carefully untangled herself from Ruby, keeping one hand clapped tightly on her shoulder to keep her from falling on her face.

"Can you unlock your door?" Winter asked, tensing as Ruby leaned into her for a moment before regaining her balance and straightening up.

"Pffft. Can I unlock a door. I created a mercynary army from nothing." Ruby giggled. "I can unlock a door."

Winter watched amusedly as Ruby glanced down at the key hanging around her neck. Slowly, she reached up and grabbed it before pulling it up and over her head. Shaking her hair free from the black lanyard, she promptly winced as the movement made her head swim.

It took a few tries, but Ruby got the key lined up and inserted into the handle. With a twist, the door unlocked, and the full weight of Ruby falling against the door pushed it open.

Winter lunged forward to grab Ruby before she broke her nose upon the floor, sighing in relief as she dragged Ruby to her feet.

"You might be unstoppable in battle, but drunk you could easily kill yourself on a flat, level surface." Winter chided.

Ruby raised a hand to protest, then noticed she was missing her key. Pausing, she tried to turn around, but Winter, sensing what she was attempting to do, grabbed her shoulders.

"Bed. Now. I'll get the key you left in the door."

Ruby turned toward her bed, a low-lying, extravagantly wide affair in the middle of her room. The pile of blankets upon it looked inviting, and Winter tentatively relaxed her iron grip on Ruby's shoulders as Ruby began unsteadily tottering toward it.

"Sit." Winter ordered.

Ruby complied, sitting down on her bed and swaying unsteadily back and forth as she tried to focus her blurry vision on Winter as she seemed to float around the room.

Winter swiftly recovered the key from the door and dropped it on the bedside table.

"I'm going to leave now, but I want you to undress, drink some water, and get a good night's rest, okay?"

Ruby blinked, then shook her head.

"I can't."

"What?" Winter paused. "Why not?"

Ruby shrugged, her left shoulder raising and falling before her right in a sort of lopsided gesture.

"Help."

Winter sighed, reaching up to rub at her face.

"Ruby... "

Ruby blinked, then frowned.

"I'm sorry. I'm a nui... nuis... I'm a bother, ain't I?"

Winter paused, glancing at the partially open door.

"No, you're not. It's just... "

Winter strode over to where Ruby sat and crouched down in front of her.

"I can't be here for long. And I know you know why."

Ruby reached up to rub at her eyes with the back of her hand, rocking side to side slowly.

"Because people say things." Ruby spoke quietly.

Winter nodded, not really wanting to discuss it out loud.

"They do." Winter agreed.

"They say that we're fucking, and that it's the only reason you have the job you have." Ruby spoke bluntly, and Winter winced.

"Some of them, yes. So you know I shouldn't be here."

"I don't care."

"Huh?"

"I don't care." Ruby insisted, reaching up to run her hands through her hair and pull it over her shoulder.

"I run this show." Ruby said, a hint of arrogance in her tone. "I do what I want. If anyone wants to talk shit, they can speak to my weapon."

Winter would have laughed if she thought it wouldn't hurt Ruby's feelings. Instead, she settled for reaching up and ruffling Ruby's hair.

"Don't." Ruby shied away this time, ducking away from Winter's hand and almost falling over.

"I'm sorry?"

"Don't pet my head like I'm some sort of kid." Ruby insisted, eyebrows curving downward as she struggled to focus on Winter.

Winter exhaled slowly, staring at Ruby.

"I don't think you're a kid, Ruby."

Ruby nodded.

"Good. Now help me take my clothes off."

"Pardon?"

Ruby reached up and plucked at the collar of her jacket.

"I's tangly."

"Tangly?"

A flash of annoyance crossed Ruby's face.

"I'll get tangly and fall."

Winter barely suppressed a snort of laughter as she stood, gesturing for Ruby to stand as well.

"Okay, then. I'll help you."

Ruby pushed herself to her feet unsteadily, glaring at Winter even as Winter gently slipped Ruby's jacket off her strong, toned shoulders.

Winter was careful to hang the jacket up on the wall peg beside the bed, before turning back to Ruby.

Ruby was still glaring at her, and Winter raised one slender eyebrow.

"Something wrong?"

Ruby's frown turned to a pout.

"You were going to leave me and let me struggle on my own."

Winter sighed.

"Ruby... "

Ruby raised her arms up over her head, and Winter grabbed the hem of her shirt, careful not to scratch Ruby's skin with her nails. Pulling her shirt up over her head, Winter tossed it carelessly to the floor as Ruby reached up to run her fingers through her messy hair.

A black sleeveless undershirt barely concealed Ruby's chest, and Winter was sorely tempted to turn those false rumors to truth right here on Ruby's bed.

Winter tore her eyes away from Ruby, and glanced around the room to distract herself.

... And on Ruby's floor...

... And in Ruby's bath...

Winter forced her gaze back to Ruby, who was staring at her with a much softer expression on her face this time.

"Now your pants and boots."

Ruby giggled, reaching up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Mmm, take my pants off, Winter."

Winter froze, and for the first time, she lost her composure. A traitorous blush forced it's way to her cheeks, and she found she had lost the ability to form coherent thoughts. Pushing herself away from Ruby, Winter tore her eyes away from her leader. Nearly tripping over her own two feet, she leaned against the wall to catch her balance despite the fact she'd had almost nothing to drink tonight. Panic filled her voice as she spoke, and she deliberately looked anywhere but at Ruby.

"Uhh... uh. Just... drink some water. See you in the morning. Night."

Before Ruby could react, Winter had bolted from the room, not looking back as she slammed the door closed a bit harder than necessary.

Ruby stared at the closed door for a moment, her alcohol-addled mind trying to make sense of the swift sequence of events that had just occurred.

"Winter?"

With a sudden weakness attacking her knees, she dropped back onto the bed, tilting her head to the side as she tried to figure out what had happened.

* * *

Author's note: I'm going to attempt to update regularly every Sunday night. I hope you all enjoy so far. Feel free to drop me a review and let me know what you think and what you like or don't like. Constructive criticism welcomed, as always. This is my first time writing Frozen Rose, so let's see how all of this plays out.


	11. Lost In Translation

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Eleven

Lost In Translation

* * *

Ruby's office was being comandeered.

Qrow didn't care, however, seeing as Ruby was still asleep, most likely a result from her heavy drinking the night before.

The thought made him smirk as he shuffled some papers around, taking pleasure in the scent of old papers and the scratchy feel of the rough pages against his fingers.

He'd gotten his hands on a slew of old books from the mass excavation they were doing in the ruins, and they were in surprisingly good shape, despite feeling like they might fall apart at any moment.

Most of the writing, foreign as it may be, was visible. Some parts were smudged, a few pages were missing, but that was to be expected from such old texts.

The drawings, they were immaculate. Each page filled with scribbly text was accompanied by razor straight drawings depicting various parts and pieces to an incredibly complex puzzle that he couldn't pretend to understand.

Yet, here was was making an attempt.

Studious red eyes scanned the pages, loosely at first, to see if any words jumped out at him. A few did, and he mentally noted their meaning. From what he could tell, this was a technical document. Something about... energy?

His eyes narrowed as he wracked his brain, mind working overtime as he sifted through the largely unintelligible text.

No, he was taking it too literally, too much at face value.

What did the words mean?

Not energy...

Perhaps power? But in what context? Fighting, maybe?

No, that didn't make sense in the context of the document either. Qrow chewed on his bottom lip as he eyed the semi-familiar writing, something in his mind telling him he had seen it before.

Power... ? No... fuel!

Qrow grunted in affirmation as he pulled another blank page toward himself, picking up a quill and dipping it before setting about meticulously copying the foreign writing. Beside it, he wrote his interpretation of it - fuel - before writing down the page and paragraph number he'd found it on, for later reference.

So, at least one part of this page was talking about fuel, perhaps to power the machines of the past.

It was a start, at any rate, Qrow thought, no matter how slow of a start it may be.

Sighing to himself, Qrow wrote another small description on his page of notes, writing down any pertinent thoughts before he forgot them.

Truthfully, he was never too pleased to be on translation duty. He much rather preferred the exploration and discovery of the ancient artifacts, leaving the translation and other boring tasks to those of older age who no longer desired the hardships of adventure, instead preferring the comfort of a warm fire and the quiet that accompanied a thinking mind.

But he couldn't deny that he was good at it. Perhaps that was why, more often than not, he was asked to assist with it instead of touring the lands as he preferred.

His eyes landed upon what appeared to be two words, in slightly larger font, what he would equate to being written in all capital letters. It was clearly important, and was littered throughout the pages of the text, clearly referencing the topic of the book.

What it meant, he wasn't quite sure, but he knew a few people who could assist him if he couldn't figure it out.

A soft tapping at the door broke his concentration, and he looked up to see who could possibly disturbing him this early in the morning.

"Come in." His voice was low, still rough from the night before.

The door opened, and Winter stepped inside, glancing at Qrow for a brief moment before turning to close the door behind herself. Moving gracefully over to the chair across from him, she sat down, levelling her pale blue eyes at him.

"Still wasting time on your fairytales?" She asked, by way of greeting.

"Oh, that's what we're doing this morning, throwing insults? I take it last night didn't go so well with my neice."

Winter scowled, an expression she normally wouldn't dare direct Qrow's way if Ruby were present.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that, but last night went perfectly well enough. I got her safely to her room, made sure she drank water, and bid her a swift goodnight."

Qrow hummed quietly, shrugging.

"Not what I expected, but hey, what do I know." Changing the subject before Winter could make a snide remark, he tapped a finger upon the pages in front of him.

"Since you asked, yes, I'm still 'wasting time' on these fairytales."

Winter scoffed, eyes falling to the pages with mild disdain.

"What a silly endeavour."

Qrow placed a hand protectively upon the pages, as if to shield them from Winter's icy glare.

"Hey, need I remind you, Snowflake, who asked me to translate all of this."

Winter sharply tossed her head back, flicking an errant strand of hair from her face.

"Oh, I'm well aware of father's foolishness on the matter. How he chooses to spend his money, however, is no concern of mine. It's why I left the family to begin with."

Qrow's gaze fell to the pages before him, idly scanning them once more.

"Really? Are you sure it wasn't because you have a crush on Ruby?"

"My personal opinion of your neice has no bearing on the situation. Frankly, the only time I spend thinking of Ruby is wondering how the charming young girl could possibly be related to such an arrogant buffoon."

Qrow laughed at that, leaning back in his seat as he stretched, his actions oddly reminiscent of Ruby's own behaviour.

"You should really be nicer when speaking to a member of the Royal Historical Society of Aster."

Winter waved a hand dismissively.

"That's a pompous title that serves no purpose other than to artificially inflate your already too large ego."

Qrow shrugged, taking no offense at the light-hearted jab.

"I know why you're here." He said quietly.

Winter raised an eyebrow, tilting her head ever so slightly.

"You think so?"

Qrow nodded. "It's plain to see. You want to talk me out of taking Ruby to the ruins to look at the weapon made of star-stuff."

Winter nodded. "So your head isn't totally full of useless junk. You still possess a shred of common sense."

Qrow held up a hand, giving her pause. "I didn't say I would agree to it. I just know what it is that you want from me."

"Why not?"

Qrow gestured around Ruby's office.

"I see everything she's created here. It's clear that she is no child anymore. So I refuse to let you treat her like one. Would it be more sensible for her to stay here and manage the things she's needed to manage? Absolutely. I agree with you that it's the smarter course of action. But she's not a kid anymore. We can't tell her what to do. She has to make her choices and do what she wants, and learn to accept the consequences of those choices."

Winter shook her head. "I agree, Qrow, but this isn't about me treating Ruby like a child. You're aware of my position here in the Rose Army- Ruby literally hired me as a mentor. She pays me to steer her away from bad decisions, no matter how much she might not like it. To ask me to allow her to make this decision on her own is asking me to forsake the job I promised her I would do."

Qrow exhaled quietly, staring at Winter.

Winter stared back, unblinking.

"Perhaps we can reach an agreement." Qrow spoke after a moment.

"How so?"

"Advise her. Advise her of the consequences of her decisions, and make sure she's fully informed. After that, let her make her own choice. I know you'll support her no matter what she does."

Winter paused a moment, thinking about it.

"You only say that because you know what choice she's going to make. She's an adventurer, much like her uncle."

Qrow smirked, shrugging.

"Maybe so." He agreed. "But, we'll leave that up to Ruby."

Winter frowned lightly, not liking the deal, but seeing the sense in it.

"Fine. I suppose it does make sense."

Qrow gestured to his books.

"Glad you agree. Now, if you'll excuse yourself, I have work to do. Perhaps you can go bother Ruby, or something."

Winter heaved a sigh of exasperation.

"Fine. Enjoy your nonsense. I've got actual work to do."

With that, Winter took her leave, shutting the door behind her before stalking down the hallway.

Surely this adventure would end up being naught but a waste of time...

... right?

* * *

"How are you feeling this morning, Miss Nikos?"

Pyrrha glanced up at the nurse who had wandered into her room.

"Ah, feeling much better. It wasn't as serious as assumed, I'd say."

The nurse nodded, stepping in close to visually inspect Pyrrha. Pyrrha sat still as the nurse peered into first one eye, then the other. Deeming herself satisfied after a moment, the nurse stepped away.

"Well, if you're feeling up to it, you can leave, but if you have any pain or headaches or trouble focusing or concentrating, come see us okay?"

Pyrrha nodded, throwing back the thin sheet that had been covering her waist.

"Understood, thank you." Pyrrha spoke as she threw her legs over the edge of the bed.

Standing up, she took a moment to stretch as blood rushed to her head, making it pound for a moment before it subsided.

"How is Jaune doing?" Pyrrha moved on to the more important question, as she slowly stretched her limbs.

The nurse puttered around the room, tidying things up in preparation for another patient.

"Jaune is stable... but that's about it. Still unconscious, and still needs quite a bit of rest and recovery. It will be a while before that boy picks up a sword again."

Pyrrha's fingers tightened into fists at her side, but she kept her calm and managed to smile politely.

"Thank you. Is it okay if I go see him later?"

"That shouldn't be a problem, dear."

Pyrrha thanked her, then stepped out of the room.

She was hungry, she realized, her stomach twinging uncomfortably as she wound her way through the hallways of their on-base hospital. So her first order of business would be to get food, and over breakfast, she would plan out her next course of action. Her feet carried her absent-mindedly toward the cafeteria as her mind filled with thoughts of Jaune.

Those two were cowards, no two ways about it, she thought. Jaune and her had approached them with every intention of dealing with them honorably, and the blonde had resorted to guerilla tactics while the half demon had inflicted a serious, debilitating wound that was unlikely to completely heal for a long, long time, if at all.

Pyrrha barely noticed when she was handed a tray of food, and she sat at the nearest empty seat, eating mechanically as her mind was lost amongst her thoughts.

The Rose Commander had ordered them detained, returned to base if possible to be interrogated. However, she was allowed to kill them if necessary.

There was no question, now. Capture was off the table.

Pyrrha would go see the Rose Commander this morning. She would request a meeting with the informant, and see where their last known position was. She would prepare herself for travel, and she would leave in the morning, track them down, and end their lives.

Her fork scraped against an empty plate, and she blinked as she was pulled from her thoughts. She glanced down at her plate, and sighed quietly.

She didn't even remember tasting it.

Pushing herself up from the table with a feeling of malcontent settling in the pits of her stomach, she set out in the direction of the Rose Commander's office.

The sooner she dealt with this inconvenience, the better.

It was short time later when she found herself in front of Ruby's personal room. She'd first gone to her office, but a scruffy looking old man there had told her that Ruby was taking it easy today, and to go check her room. He'd informed her that if she found Winter, she would find Ruby as well.

Pyrrha had initially been hesitant to bother Ruby at her room, but the man had assured her that Ruby would be pleased to see her up and moving, so with minor trepidation, she'd set out toward the Rose Commander's room.

Raising her hand to knock, she was about to put fist to door when a sharp voice behind her halted her movements.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Pyrrha paused, then lowered her hand, turning to see Winter standing behind her, hands on her hips as she inspected Pyrrha closely.

"Oh! Winter. How are you?"

"I'm well." Winter spoke shortly. Her piercing gaze looked Pyrrha up and down, and Pyrrha shifted uncomfortably beneath the mysterious woman's glare.

"I see you're doing better after your scuffle with the targets."

Pyrrha nodded stiffly. She was never sure just what sort of rank Winter carried. Technically, it was none at all, what with Pyrrha being Ruby's first recruit, and her second in command, but Winter had a frosty, no-nonsense deposition that quickly helped her assert herself as close to the top of the food chain as possible.

The rumors of her relationship with Ruby certainly didn't help matters any, and Pyrrha was hesitant to offend someone so close to Ruby, despite the fact that Pyrrha was, as Ruby had put it, 'extremely loyal and utterly irreplaceable.'

"I am."

"And what of your partner, Jaune?"

Pyrrha paused a moment, licking her lip as she considered her answer.

"He'll... recover."

Winter nodded. "I see. What brings you to Ruby's room?"

Pyrrha gestured to the closed door behind her.

"I had some questions for the Rose Commander." Pyrrha placed a subtle emphasis on 'Rose Commander', daring Winter to address their leader with the respect she deserved. The first name basis Winter used with Ruby was inappropriate and not at all respectful, in Pyrrha's opinion.

"She wasn't in her office, but a man there told me I could find her in her room. He assured me that she wouldn't be bothered by my arrival."

Winter nodded.

"I know she's been looking forward to your recovery. That man, by the way, is her uncle. Not many have the chance to meet him, seeing as he's usually galivanting off on some bizarre mission, else buried beneath a pile of books."

"Uncle?" Pyrrha parroted. "Is that the Qrow she mentions every once in a while?"

Winter stepped up to the door, inserting her key and twisting it.

"The one and the same." She confirmed. "If you'll excuse me, I'll let Ruby know you're here."

Without waiting for an answer, Winter pushed open the door and stepped inside, shutting it swiftly after her, leaving Pyrrha outside to wait.

Winter moved through the darkened room with ease, familiar with the layout despite the fact that her eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the darkness.

Moving over to the bed, she gently lowered herself onto it, careful not to rock it too much in case Ruby was feeling sick.

"Ruby, are you awake?" Winter's voice was low, quiet in the darkness.

Ruby, however, heard her, and grunted an approximation of a response.

Winter smirked, then reached out and touched Ruby's shoulder.

"Pyrrha is here to see you."

Ruby groaned a bit louder this time, then, when it was obvious that Winter wasn't going to go away, she sighed in resignation and pushed back the blankets covering her body.

"I knew one day I'd regret giving you a key to my room." Ruby grumbled, her voice weak with sleep.

Winter shrugged unapologetically.

"The fine commander cannot sleep in all day, you know."

"Yeah, yeah... "

Ruby shooed Winter away, and Winter obliged, getting up and moving out of the way as Ruby sat up. Pushing herself off the bed and to her feet, she barely registered Winter's staring as she moved toward the door.

Winter almost regretted not staying a bit longer last night she thought, as she stared unabashedly at Ruby in the low light of the darkened room.

Devoid of any clothing save for a pair of revealing underwear and an open shirt that was dangerously close to covering nothing at all, Ruby was tall, hot, and quite a hazard to Winter's health.

"How- " Winter paused, gathering her thoughts. After a second, she tried again. "How are you feeling?"

Ruby yawned as she stretched, reaching up to run her fingers through her long, unbound hair. Unaware of Winter's distraught gaze, she stretched her arms out wide, her open shirt pulling away to nearly reveal her bare breasts.

"A bit thirsty." Ruby muttered, relaxing. "Damn that Qrow and his terrible ideas."

Ruby reached up to fasten a few buttons in front of her breasts, pulling the fabric tightly across them and doing little to hide their shape and size from the imagination. Winter let her eyes fall to Ruby's flat stomach, too dark to make out the definition of her abs that Winter nonetheless knew were there.

"What does Pyrrha want?" Ruby asked, quickly followed by, "How is she doing?"

Winter gestured to the door. "You'll find out when you ask her. Although I suggest you put on some pants first."

Ruby glanced down at her lower half, then shrugged.

"It's just Pyrrha." She mumbled, although Winter was pleased to see that she complied, moving over to the large closet that adorned the left wall.

Ruby grabbed the first pair of pants she could find, slipping them on to appease Winter before approaching the door.

Pulling the door open, Ruby was instantly assaulted by bright light, and she winced even as Pyrrha grinned at her in greeting.

"Hello Commander!"

Ruby lazily waved.

"How're you doing, Pyrrha? Wanna come in?"

"I'm well, thank you." Pyrrha waved off the request. "I don't want to take up too much of your time- I merely had a few questions."

"Fire away."

"Do you think you could get Emerald to meet me at the bar later tonight? I need an update on those two- their location, current condition, and any other pertinent information."

Ruby nodded, leaning up against the door frame and using her left foot to rub at the back of her right calf.

"Yeah, I can put the word through. What's your plan?"

Pyrrha lowered her head a bit.

"With your permission, I'd like to set out tomorrow at first light to put an end to this."

Ruby exhaled slowly, pushing her hip out.

Behind her, Winter forced herself to look anywhere but at Ruby, utterly convinced that the girl was doing what she did on purpose. Still, she kept her ears on the conversation.

"Granted. Anything or anyone you need, you take."

"Thank you." Pyrrha bowed slightly, and Ruby waved her off.

"I look forward to your safe return. Keep me updated. Is there anything else you need?"

Pyrrha shook her head, and Ruby nodded.

"Okay. Return with haste. There is much to do in the coming days, and your fighting skills will be sorely needed."

With that, Ruby bid her goodbye, before closing the door. Turning around, she leaned against it and sighed, rolling her head to the side to look at Winter.

"Can I go back to bed?"

Winter shook her head.

"Get yourself presentable, we have a busy day ahead of us."

"What's going on?"

Winter gestured in the general direction of Ruby's office.

"There's much to talk about with your uncle."

Ruby nodded, reaching up to unbutton her shirt. Ignoring the fact that Winter was mere feet from her, she pulled it off and threw it onto her bed.

"I'll bathe, and meet you down there." Ruby enjoyed watching Winter squirm, her eyes pointedly looking around the room at anything and anywhere that wasn't Ruby Rose.

"Unless you wanted to help...?" Ruby left the sentence hanging, her hands falling to the pants she had hastily thrown on.

WInter glanced up at the ceiling, clearing her throat.

"N-no, you're capable of washing yourself. I'll meet you in your office."

With that, Winter made the swiftest exit Ruby could remember seeing.

* * *

Author's note: Bit of a slow one this week, but here we find out that there's more going on than just a rescue mission for Blake's beloved Weiss. Next chapter we will get back to Blake and Yang, and see what their next move is.


	12. We Need To Talk

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Twelve

We Need To Talk

* * *

Yang almost felt guilty, laying up on the single bed in the hotel room they'd gotten last night.

Almost, but not quite.

Yang watched Blake strut back and forth in the small hotel room, pacing off her energy as she mumbled non stop to herself.

Okay, maybe Yang felt a little guilty, she thought, as her eyes cavorted once more up Blake's body as the girl paused near the door before spinning on her heel, her tight glutes a tantalizing curve that enticed Yang's gaze.

She shouldn't be enjoying this so damn much, but they were both stressed out, and Yang couldn't think of a better way to release stress than thinking about all of the deliciousness that was Blake.

Yang shifted, crossing her legs and squeezing her thighs together as Blake came to a stop in front of her, turning to face her.

"Yang, we need to talk."

Yang blinked, forcing her eyes to stay on Blake's face. Her body was incredibly distracting, and with the mood Yang was in, a serious talk didn't seem like such a good idea right now.

"Do we have to?" Yang asked.

Blake reached up to gingerly run her fingers through her hair, taking extreme care not to graze her injury.

"It would be prudent to do so."

Yang took a moment to study the extremely serious look upon Blake's face, and she sighed, mentally resigning herself to a boring conversation that she was sure wouldn't amount to much.

Yang much preferred action to inaction, and doing rather than talking.

And damn it all if there wasn't something she'd rather be doing right now...

Giving her head a small shake to clear it of the dirty thoughts plaguing her imagination, she decided to give this conversation her full attention. At the very least, it might pull her out of her mood.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Instead of answering, Blake resumed her pacing, her feet tap-tap-tapping across the floor as she prowled back and forth in front of Yang.

Knowing better than to press Blake for an answer, Yang let her mind drift as her eyes returned to her recently discovered new favourite activity.

It was some time before Blake stopped in front of her once more, and Yang's eyes were half lidded as she found herself slowly drifting off to sleep, lulled into a stupor by the rhythmic tapping of Blake's heels and her vivid imagination casting her deep into a daydream.

"Lots of things." Blake finally answered Yang's question, jerking Yang awake.

Yang looked around the room for a moment, then gently patted the bed beside her, shifting over to make room.

"Stop that pacing for a minute and come sit down and talk."

Blake hesitated, then moved over and dropped onto the bed beside Yang. Taking a deep breath, her hands fidgeted in her lap as she stared at the patterned blanket covering the bed.

"Take your time, relax, collect your thoughts." Yang drawled, in no rush to engage in a conversation any more serious than what they should be eating for dinner.

Blake glanced up at Yang, a dark expression on her face that Yang had never seen before in her short time knowing the girl.

"Yang, I'm scared."

Yang's eyebrows shot up into her hairline, and she inhaled deeply. Apparently they were gonna get right into it.

"What are you scared of?"

Blake raised her hands helplessly before dropping them back into her lap.

"I'm scared of everything. I've gotten myself into a hell of a situation, and even worse, I've dragged you into it. You shouldn't be here."

"Hey," Yang protested softly, "I'm a grown-ass woman and I'll be wherever the hell I want."

Blake raised her head to glare at her.

"I'm serious, Yang! I fucked up, okay?!"

Yang tilted her head questioningly, encouraging Blake to continue.

"This was already difficult from the beginning, but I've just made it so much worse. I was supposed to go to Citadel, steal my girlfriend back, and disappear. That's it. Now I've pissed off the Rose Army and probably put a bounty on the both of us. We're fucked, Yang!"

Blake's voice broke, despair filling her tone as she hung her head.

Yang frowned, her heart aching for the poor girl beside her. Blake was in over her head, overwhelmed, and unsure of what to do.

"We're fucked." Blake repeated, much quieter this time. "Neither of us have any idea what we're doing with a sword, I'm burning through your money like it'll never run out, we're being hunted from every corner of the world. Literally everyone is against us, and... and Weiss... "

Yang chose not to touch on the sensitive topic of Weiss. Rather, she focused on the facts of what she knew.

"That redhead knew who we were, and what we were doing." Yang said quietly. "How?"

Blake shrugged. "Someone is tracking us. That's all I can think of. I have no idea who, or why, or how, but someone is. Someone is following us, and passing along information to the Rose Army. Who are aligned with the Winchesters. My enemy has an entire army at their disposal."

Yang nodded slowly. There was no point denying that, that much was certain.

"What's our next move, then?" Yang asked.

Blake threw her hands up once more, slapping her legs as she let them fall.

"I don't know." She said quietly. "I don't know. Maybe I should just give up."

Yang regarded Blake quietly for a moment.

"Is that really what you want to do?"

Blake shook her head. "Of course not. But what other choice do I have? Me, against the Rose Army, the Winchesters, and probably Weiss' family, who no doubt approve of the marriage, admit it Yang, it's prolonged suicide."

Yang shook her head.

"As much as I want to, I won't be the one to convince you out of it."

Blake raised her head, looking at Yang in confusion.

"You want to?"

Yang shrugged, looking away.

"I worry about you, that's all." Yang said slowly. "While I agree that giving up would probably be best for your physical health, I know that's not who you are. I would never encourage you to do something that I know you'd be unhappy with. If Weiss means as much to you as you say she does, then I'll do what I can to support you in that endeavour."

Blake was silent, staring unblinkingly at Yang.

Feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny, Yang felt compelled to speak again, to explain away her previous statement.

"I won't convince you to give up. It's not who you are."

Blake nodded slowly, eyes darting side to side as Yang imagined a thousand thoughts were filling her mind.

Yang studied Blake's face, taking in every minute, beautiful detail.

"Remember that I'm here, Blake. For better or for worse, I'm here. Use me, lean on me, and let me help you. For better, or for worse. And so far, I like to think my company has been for the better."

"You might've saved my life once or twice." Blake slowly admitted, the barest hints of a grin tugging on her lips as she suppressed a rueful smile.

Yang briefly considered her next action, she really did. She really _briefly_ did. Before she could stop herself, she reached out and gently placed two fingers underneath Blake's chin. Tenderly tilting Blake's head toward her own, Yang smiled disarmingly as Blake's eyes widened in alarm.

"I'll be here for you as long as you need me Blake, and even when you think you don't." Yang spoke earnestly, holding Blake's nervous, wide-eyed gaze with her own strong, assured one.

Blake said nothing, but Yang could hear her breath quicken. From the corner of her eye she could see Blake's chest rise and fall in short, rapid breaths. A dusting of pink tinged her tanned cheeks, barely noticeable yet caught by Yang's attention to every Blakey detail.

Blake parted her lips as if to speak, but no words came forth. Yang glanced down at those inviting lips, a heated fantasy pushing itself to the front of her mind. She teased the thought of entertaining that particular fantasy, but she knew she wouldn't. She wasn't that kind of person, she knew, and Blake surely wasn't.

Yang smiled innocently, her thumb gently caressing Blake's cheek before she dropped her hand back to her lap. Her skin burned where they made contact with Blake, an itch that she knew would only be satisfied by more touching. It was like a drug, the feeling of Blake in her hands, a drug she knew she would have precious little taste of.

Blake didn't look away, and Yang didn't mind. Any opportunity to stare into Blake's eyes was eagerly welcomed, and Yang could lose herself for hours in those twin pools of opulence.

Blake opened her mouth once more, and this time she spoke.

"Why?" She whispered the solitary word, Yang leaning in a bit closer to hear her. The bed shifted underneath her weight, sinking down between them. Blake dipped a bit closer as the soft mattress caved, and Yang had to dig her nails into her leg to phsyically restrain herself from closing the scant inches between them and placing her lips on Blake's. Remembering that Blake had asked her a question, she forced herself to focus on that instead.

"I... can't really answer that. Not right now. I don't have an answer that you would find satisfactory."

Blake stared at her questioningly, either unaware or unmindful of the small distance that tested Yang's morality.

Yang slowly pulled away, unwilling to subject herself to any more torture.

"There's an answer, " Yang tried again, willing to try anything to distract herself, "But when I try to put it into words, it doesn't make sense. You know?"

Blake looked away, brows furrowing lightly in thought.

"I'm not sure what answer you're looking for." Yang continued on, voice quieting until it was barely audible.

"You're my friend now, and that isn't just something I say to pay lip service. It means something to me, you mean something to me, and if I don't do right by that, then I won't mean anything to me... if that makes any sense." Yang chuckled nervously, suddenly feeling quite awkward. She forced herself to shut up now, as awkward silence _had_ to be better than whatever would come out of her mouth if she continued talking.

Blake smirked, the corners of her mouth lifting ever so slightly.

"Well, I'm grateful for it, Yang. I really am." She lifted her head and turned to look at Yang, a genuine smile gracing her features for the first time in awhile and making Yang's pulse jump.

Before Yang could reply, Blake slid off the bed and stood.

"I'm going to go have a bath and think about some things." Blake said. "Thank you for calming me down long enough to think rationally. I'm lucky to have you as a friend. I'd like to talk to you more later tonight, if you're awake."

Blake reached up and tucked her raven waterfall of hair behind her human ear before leaning down and kissing Yang on the cheek. The kiss lasted only a second before Blake was moving away, one last glance over her shoulder at Yang before disappearing into the bathroom.

Yang waited for the door to close before she fell backward onto the bed, reaching up to cover her blushing face as she groaned audibly.

"Blake is gonna kill me with cuteness one day." Yang murmured softly.

It took a second to register what she had spoken aloud before she froze up.

 _Blake's demon ears!_

Yang cursed quietly as she realized that Blake could probably hear every sound she was making. Rolling onto her stomach and burying her face in the pillow to muffle any further sounds, she squeezed her eyes closed as a tornado of thoughts whirled throughout her head.

Blake was gorgeous, there was no denying that. Yang knew it, Blake knew it, anyone who spent more than ten seconds glancing in her general direction knew it.

That had never bothered her. Blake was pretty, so what?

Blake also had a girlfriend.

Yang had never had a girlfriend before, as she had never thought of herself that way before.

However, at some point during their adventure, Yang had found herself smitten by Blake. As difficult as it was to admit, Yang realized she had started liking Blake.

 _Really_ liking Blake, in fact.

Blake was...

Blake was a lot of things, Yang realized. Blake was extremely driven, with a rock solid determination that until tonight, Yang had thought was unshakeable. Yang understood, however. Anyone would feel discouraged by the situation that Blake was in.

She was talented, with a resourcefulness strong enough to make her a credible force to be reckoned with in such a short amount of time.

Yang had come to learn that Blake was extremely passionate, and unbending in her desire to stand by her morals and ideals. She would bow to no one, and she would never stop fighting for what she believed in.

It was incredibly admirable, the way Blake carried herself throughout these difficult times. Blake was doing the best she could with as little help from anyone else as possible to do what she considered right.

There was a beauty to Blake that no one would ever be able to replicate, not even the tiniest bit. She was an immovable mountain in the midst of a hurricane, a quiet resilience that no force of nature could weather.

She was gorgeous in every sense of the word, and Yang was in awe of every move she made.

And Yang really liked her.

It was a difficult realization to overcome, for a wide variety of reasons.

Yang sighed, reaching up to bury her fists in her hair. Her mind was a confusing, jumbled mess of thoughts that made no sense. She wanted to help Blake get her girlfriend back. She really did. She wanted Blake to be happy, and it seemed like Weiss was the key to making that happen.

She wanted a lot of things. Some things, she couldn't even identify, except that when she looked at Blake, she knew she was feeling things she'd never felt before.

"What a mess." Yang murmured into the pillow, the fabric muffling her words. A small part of her hoped that this was just a flirtacious crush that would pass quickly with time.

Yet, there was a much larger part of her that hoped wasn't just a crush, and that scared her. It meant she was only going to end up hurt, and it was only a matter of time before it happened.

* * *

Yang's hellacious torture didn't end as she had thought it would when Blake left to bathe, for when the girl emerged, she came to sit beside Yang on the suddenly too-small single bed in the centre of the room.

Blake had come to trust Yang by now, a sentiment she had vocalized not too long ago.

The problem was, Yang noted as she shifted slightly in mild discomfort, was that Blake had the habit of expressing her trust and comfort in Yang by wearing the smallest amount of clothing necessary when the two were alone.

Coming to trust Yang with her half-demon lineage - not that her head and ear injury had really left her with a choice in the matter - Yang surmised that she was privy to a side of Blake that few people knew about. If Yang had to guess, it couldn't be very comfortable wearing a bandana or a cloak all day to conceal her ears, moreso now that one of them was injured and in need of air to heal properly.

This meant that Blake took any opportunity presented to strip nearly naked and parade around in front of Yang without a care in the world.

Not that Yang would _really_ complain - after all, it would impossible to voice any complaints if she were passed out from lack of blood to her brain.

But it was _hard_. It was extremely difficult to reconcile Blake's innocent actions and her own devious desires.

Now, Blake sat beside her on the bed, their shoulders touching. Her lower body was naked save for a pair of scandalously thin panties, and a loose, sleeveless shirt covered her upper body.

Her hair was damp and messily pulled over one shoulder, baring her throat and the back of her neck to Yang's gaze.

Never before had Yang experienced such raw, powerful, animalistic desires, yet here she was, willing herself to not push Blake down and ravage her with tongue and teeth.

It was a bit frightening, Yang had to admit, being this infatuated with someone. With such clouded, distracted thoughts, it was difficult to keep her mind on task and focused on the important things.

Blake glanced up at Yang, and smiled contentedly at her.

"You can bathe now, if you want."

Contrary to the words she spoke, however, she tilted her head down until she was resting on Yang's shoulder.

The blonde stared straight ahead, knowing that if she looked down at Blake, she'd be able to look down her open shirt.

This was another peculiar thing about Blake that Yang had noticed.

Normally, the distant, aloof girl abstained from any and all contact with anyone else, a look of disdain gracing her features at the mere thought of it.

However, when Blake was tired, she didn't seem to mind the physical contact so much. On the occasion of injury, she sought out physical comfort, unwilling to part from Yang until Yang had to peel herself away.

Of course, when Blake was tired, it was extremely easy to irritate her, something Yang accomplished more often than not. When Blake was pissed off, she was standoffish and aloof, unwilling to even look at Yang, much less share personal space with her.

Yang had swiftly learned what did and did not set off the haughty half-demon, and as much fun as it was to tease the girl, moments like this were far more rewarding.

"What are we going to do about our stalker?" Blake murmured softly, nuzzling her cheek against Yang's shoulder.

Yang took a moment to consider whether or not she should bow out and disappear to the shower.

"Uhh... I'm not sure."

Blake snickered. "Very helpful."

Yang shrugged lightly, mindful of Blake on her shoulder.

"I vote we sleep on it, and compare ideas in the morning."

Blake was quiet for a long moment.

Closing her eyes, Yang tuned into the gentle sound of Blake's soft, measured breathing.

 _'This is nice.'_ Yang thought. Despite all the adversity they were facing, moments like this were nice.

"Did you fall asleep?" Yang whispered, unwilling to open her eyes to check.

Blake made a negative sound in the back of her throat.

"No, but if I was, asking me a question would wake me up."

Yang paused for a moment.

"Do you want to go to bed?"

"Are you going to shower?" Blake answered Yang's question with one of her own.

"I will in the morning."

Blake scoffed. "You're so gross."

Yang shook her head, gently pulling away from Blake. Forcing her eyes open, Blake tilted her head up at Yang, confusion clear upon her sleepy features.

"What are you doing?"

Yang made to move off the bed.

"Well, since I'm so gross, I'm gonna go find somewhere else to sleep for the night." She teased.

Yang was stopped when Blake reached out, wrapping both hands around her forearm.

"Don't."

Yang paused. "Sorry?"

Blake glanced away, refusing to look at her.

"Don't leave me." Her voice was pitifully soft.

"I-" Yang faltered, unsure of what to say. Even if she had intended to leave, she was rendered utterly defenseless by this side of Blake.

"Blake, I'm not going to leave you. I was teasing. Let me get undressed and I'll be right back."

Blake nodded, reluctantly releasing Yang's arm.

Yang pulled away and pushed off the bed, heart pounding loudly in her chest. A thousand thoughts burned through her mind, most of them less than decent, some of them downright dark.

There was a part of her that wanted to push this opportunity, to take advantage of Blake's moment of weakness to try to seduce her, to convince Blake that Yang could take Weiss' place in her heart, and in her bed.

It was with trembling hands that Yang pulled off her shirt. Letting it fall to the floor, she made quick work of her pants as well. They soon joined her shirt in a heap on the floor.

There was a solitary lamp burning on the table beside the bed, and Yang reached out to give the adjustment screw a twist. A few seconds later and the flame went out, starved of oil. The room was cast into darkness, and Yang slowly shifted to the side until she nudged up against the bed.

Sliding onto the bed, she found that Blake had already pulled back the blankets. Tucking her feet underneath, she let Blake pull the blankets back up over the both of them.

"What's our plan for tomorrow?" Yang asked, desperate for anything to occupy her wandering, traitorous mind.

"That's a discussion for tomorrow." Blake replied cheekily.

Yang searched her mind for another suitable topic of conversation for a minute, before the thought occurred to her that Blake might not feel like talking. Despite wanting to talk as a way to drown out the bad ideas filling her head, Yang fell silent in favour of listening to Blake's soft, even breaths.

"My ear hurts." Blake whispered, and Yang could _hear_ the pout in her voice.

 _'Well, didn't take long for me to be proven wrong.'_ Yang thought wryly.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Yang asked humorously.

"Hold me."

Yang blinked. "Sorry?"

Blake didn't respond.

Not vocally, anyway.

Yang felt the bed shift, and a second later Blake had pushed herself up against Yang's side.

"Turn over and face me." Blake half demanded, half whimpered.

Yang did as she was ordered, turning over onto her right side to face Blake on the bed.

Humming happily, Blake tucked herself under Yang's left arm, pushing herself up against Yang's chest.

"Hold me." Blake whispered once more.

Yang swallowed nervously, her heart hammering a staccato beat in her chest.

"O-okay." Yang gingerly wrapped her arm around Blake's waist, and Blake immediately pressed her body tighter to Yang. Yang clenched her teeth together as Blake tucked her head underneath Yang's chin, Blake's lips unintentionally grazing against Yang's upper chest. Blake returned the embrace, sneaking her arm around Yang's hips, her fingertips tickling Yang's lower back.

"Goodnight, Yang." Blake sighed contentedly, finally relaxing in Yang's arms.

Yang swallowed dryly, willing herself to relax against Blake. She was acutely aware of the way Blake had her head positioned as to minimize pressure on her damaged ear. She just wished that position wasn't one that had Blake's lips inches from her chest.

"Night, Blake." Yang managed.

Blake was silent for a while, and Yang had almost managed to drift off to sleep when she heard Blake whisper soft words against her chest.

"This is nice."

* * *

Author's note: Yang is beginning to crush hard on Blake. I cannot wait to see how it plays out. A day early on this upload because I've had this chapter done for a few days now. As always, comments and criticism is appreciated. Thank you for your time.


	13. Abandoned

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Thirteen

* * *

When Blake awoke, it was dark. Her mind instantly snapped into wakefulness, a daring plan in her mind that she honestly wasn't sure was going to work.

Yet, it was worth a try.

Inhaling deeply, she sighed softly as the scent of Yang filled her nose. The girl was a perplexing mix of scents. Blake could catch hints of lavender and other wild flowers, mixed with the familiar smell of worn leather and tart soaps used to cleanse skin and hair. It had been a while since Yang's last bath, but the faint odors still lingered on her skin. Just beneath the layer of perfumey soaps laid the more familiar, comforting scent of Yang herself, the sweat and dirt mixed into her skin combined with the other things that made up the distinctly unique smell that was Yang.

It was comforting.

It was familiar, protective, and comforting.

Blake pulled her face away from Yang's chest where it had been tucked, mindful of her ear cradled carefully between the pillow and Yang's throat. The ear was beginning to throb painfully beneath the bandages, and she knew she would have to have Yang help change it, preferably sooner than later.

Yang's arm was tight around her waist, and Blake bit her bottom lip a moment, pondering her next move.

Gingerly she wrapped her fingers around Yang's wrist. Yang was devoid of reaction, so she lifted Yang's arm off her hip, setting her arm down alongside the bed.

Yang shifted, her hand grasping the blanket as she pulled herself closer to Blake, but Blake was quicker. Sliding backward across the bed to the edge, she grabbed a pillow she had thrown by her feet last night and slipped it between herself and Yang.

Yang's searching hand found the pillow, and thankfully she accepted it as a replacement for Blake, clutching it possessively and burying her face in it.

Pushing herself fully off the bed, Blake stood slowly to avoid waking Yang. A glance toward the window showed that it was dark outside as it was tucked up against Yang, and she was grateful for the cover of night.

Her eyes had long ago adjusted to the low light conditions, and she glanced around the room that she had been pacing throughout last night.

So engrossed in her thoughts last night, that her look around the room seemed as if it were the first time. She didn't remember half of the items in this room, but as she spotted what she was looking for, she took it as a bit of good luck finally coming her way.

Padding over to the desk tucked in the corner against the far wall, she stepped over the sleeping Zwei, curling her nose up in disgust as he snuffled lightly.

There. That's what she wanted.

She stopped in front of the desk, where a small stylus and a vial of ink laid next to clean, white stationery.

WIth one hand, she picked up the vial. Pushing gently upon the lid with the pad of her thumb, it noiselessly popped off, nearly clattering to the top of the desk before she caught it mid fall with her free hand.

Heart hammering in her chest as adrenaline spiked through her, she stayed stock still as her ears surveyed the room behind her for any movement.

There was none.

Setting down the lid and the vial of ink, she picked up the stylus with her left hand. Dipping it carefully, she pulled the stationery toward her, contemplating her choice of words. After a moment, she lowered her hand.

 _Yang - I've gone North. I'm sorry. Goodbye._

Signing her name underneath with an unnecessary flourish, she quickly capped the ink, laid down the stylus, and picked up the paper.

Another large step over the sleeping dog, and she carefully deposited the slip of paper onto the bed beside Yang. Stepping away from the bed, Blake moved over to the clothes she'd left in a pile near the wall beside the door, pulling them on with an efficiency borne of many nights spent in a princess' room.

Without a backward glance at the sleeping blonde, Blake pulled open the door just far enough to slip through, reaching back through the gap to grab her rapidly slimming bag. Pulling it out, she carefully closed the door, wincing as the latch snapped a bit louder than she intended.

Her ears standing at attention and turning toward the door, she listened for a moment.

Not even Zwei had stirred at the sound of the door.

 _What a terrible dog. We could have been robbed and killed and that damned thing wouldn't wake up._

Shaking her head, she moved on silent feet toward the front desk, both sets of ears alert to the slightest of sounds.

That goddamned thing had always favoured Yang anyway, in the short time it had been with them. Not that she cared, she told herself. If the smelly mutt wanted to slobber all over Yang, why should she care?

Like a ghost, she appeared from the shadows, approaching the front desk wordlessly. The young boy there was reading a book, head bowed and unaware of her advance. With silent feet, she stalked forward, keeping her gaze resolutely on him as she studied him for any sign of movement.

She stopped at the front desk, no small satisfaction welling up in her at her undetected approach, and rather than interrupt him, she watched him read for a few minutes.

He hummed softly to himself, then leaned back in his chair. Raising his head a bit, he reached down to his lap to turn the page. He must have caught a glimpse of Blake from the corner of his eye, for he jerked up with a start, nearly knocking his book to the floor.

Instantly Blake raise a finger to her lips, indicating silence. She reached across the desk, and the boy slid his chair back, a look of consternation crossing his face.

The boy probably thought he was being robbed, Blake thought. Wordlessly she grabbed a stylus and some stationery, and quickly scrawled a note upon it.

 _Room 112 - Blonde girl still sleeping. She will check out in the morning. I'm paying now._

She slid it back across the counter to him, and spun it right side up for him. As he lowered his gaze to the paper - suspiciously flitting back up to eye her- she dug into her pocket and grasped a handful of coin.

Silently she deposited the clinking items onto the desk, and then raised a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture once more for good measure before stepping back into the shadows. He watched her steadfast until she reached an exit, pushing the door open and disappearing into the early morning air.

It was all a bit melodramatic, she thought, as she broke into a silent jog, but it was necessary. Silence was golden, and her mission success depended on evasion.

Her bag slapped against her back in a comforting rhythm as she set a brisk pace, ignoring the dull, persistent ache in her ear in favor of focusing on the feeling of cold pre-dawn air tickling her throat.

As hot as the days were this time of year, she thought, the nights could get uncomfortably cold. Only the most suspicious of individuals moved at night, and that was exactly what she was counting on.

Further up the street, two guards languidly meandered down the street, making idle chit chat as they patrolled.

The streets here were wide, with small, squat shops taking up residence on either side. Far from the uniform monotony of the last town they were in, this town had a more artistic feel to it. Shop owners were free to decorate and paint as they pleased, and this was evident in the dulled out plethora of colors that covered the buildings on either side of Blake.

Blake stalked the guards from several yards away, keeping to the darkest shadows with an eye on convenient hiding places in case they decided to rapidly reverse direction.

She stalked with baited breath until they turned a corner, and she breathed a light sigh of relief. Taking pause behind a shop sign rutted into the ground, she swivelled her ears behind her, listening intently for any signs of pursuit.

There was nothing.

Adjusting the strap on her shoulder, she stood up, and hurried along her way.

It wasn't long until she reached the northern edge of town, and here she stopped. Standing in the darkened shadow lent by a tall metal-smithing shop, she studied the building across the street.

It was a single story shop. It sold flowers, if the sign hanging on the locked front door was anything to go by.

At least, she thought amusedly, she assumed it was locked.

Although maybe it wasn't?

Who would want to steal flowers?

Giving her head a shake, she dispelled the distracting thoughts.

Out of the two candidates, the shop she was standing by offered clear advantages.

A taller roof, a noiser environment, and a far better sightline to the forest's edge to the north.

The forest that separated them from Citadel.

The forest that separated her from Weiss.

At that thought, her heart ached painfully, as if to remind her that she still mourned her separation from her girlfriend.

She didn't need the reminder, however. She'd never forgotten. It was on her mind constantly, plaguing her thoughts from the moment she woke up until the moment she drifted off to sleep.

Her left hand found the handle of the sword mounted to her left hip. Yang had been right when she'd said that Blake would get used to the weight of a sword at her hip.

She smiled ruefully. She wasn't sure she'd feel right without a sword now, even though she could easily remember a time when she couldn't imagine wearing one.

Tossing that thought from her head like so much trash in the wind, she glanced up at the roof far above her head. Right now it shadowed her from the light of the waxing gibbous moon, but thankfully, whilst her stay upon the roof would have her illuminated in moonlight, up there, she was safe from searching eyes.

The fact that it was a metal smithing shop was a bonus. With hammers clanging, and forges roaring all day, no one would be able to hear her light footsteps upon the roof as she moved about, surveying her surroundings from her vantage point.

It was perfect.

Releasing her grasp on her sword, she let her hand fall to her side. Stepping lightly around a small pile of blackened firebrick, she began walking the perimiter of the building, studying it closely as she tried to find a way to scale the steep walls.

The red brick was rough to the touch, but overall uniformly smooth. The building was well constructed, and there were precious few out of alignment bricks that would offer a decent hand or foothold.

She turned a corner, and disappeared down the dark alley that separated this building from the one beside it. Eyes studying her target, she was unaware of a stack of a small pile of fire-blackened metal, tucked into the shadows of the building and hidden by the darkness of the alleyway.

Her foot made contact with it, and sent the small pile of discarded metal skidding across the ground, clanging and clattering noisily in the dead air and nearly making her jump out of her skin.

Blake froze instantly, ears ringing with the unexpected noisy assault they had just endured. Taking a deep breath and holding it, she strained her hearing to it's limits as she listened for anyone approaching.

Silence stretched out, ringing loudly in her ears. After a moment, she exhaled softly.

She was in the clear.

"Hello?"

 _Fuck!_

"Anyone there?" A deep voice called out.

 _Fuck fuck fuck!_

Eyes wide, Blake glanced around, panic setting in as she heard a smattering of footsteps growing swiftly closer.

The alleyway she was in was narrow, and completely devoid of any obstacle able to hide her. In seconds, an armed guard, possibly two, would turn the corner and spot her instantly.

... Or would they?

Leaning down, Blake grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground. Straightening up, she drew her sword and ran the dirt along the blade, dulling the shine and muting it's gleam. Holding it in her right hand, she raised it high above her head, then pressed herself flat against the wall of the metal smithing building. She was dressed all in black, and right now, this was her best chance at survival. If the guards came within striking distance, she would aim for an incapacitating strike with the flat of her blade.

Not a second later, the same two guards from earlier - or so she assumed, they all looked the same in the darkness- rounded the corner she'd been hiding behind only moments before.

They walked slowly down the pitch black alleyway, side by side with hands on their swords, ready but not yet drawn.

Blake pressed her back hard against the wall behind her, mentally willing herself to blend in with the brick. Her sword was held up overhead, ready to strike, the flat of the blade pressed against the wall behind her.

Hopefully these humans had poor night vision...

"C'mon mate, this is a waste of time." One of them spoke, his tone dismissive.

"Probably an alley cat or som'thing."

They were about fifteen feet away now, blurring into the edge of Blake's vision as she dared not turn her head to look.

"Aye, yeh figure?"

"Aye. These morons always stackin' mounds of steel behind their shop. Waste of time investigating anything down here, if'n ya ask me."

"Fair enough." They paused, and Blake held her breath. Her ears strained in the silence to pick up any indication that they'd spotted her. The muscles in her arm trembled, but she held her sword tightly against the wall for fear of having it rattle against the brick.

"Right. Nothin' ever happens 'round here anyway."

Blake listened as they spun in place, boots scuffing against the ground as they retreated.

Her heart pounded in her chest as her lungs ached, and she dared to finally exhale as they traipsed away, painfully slowly.

Inhaling as quietly as she could, she lowered her sword and slowly sheathed it. That was an incredibly close call, and she'd do well to avoid such mistakes in the future.

Adrenaline was running high as she realized how close she had come to discovery. Not that it was wrong to be out at this time of night, but skulking around the back alleys of a metal-smithing shop was quite suspicious, and would warrant detainment and a visit to the holding cells, at the minimum, until they could ascertain whether or not she was a threat.

That was a delay to her mission that she simply couldn't afford. Not with how critically sensitive the next part of her plan was.

She slowly counted to ten, and when she heard no sign of the returning soldiers, she dashed further down the alley, taking extreme care to watch her footing from now on.

Finally a stroke of luck, she thought, as she reached the back corner of the building. A rudimentary ladder had been anchored to the wall, and lead to the roof.

Blake suspected that it was for inspecting and cleaning furnace ducts and flues, and she gave the ladder a hardy shake before daring to step foot upon it. If it were loose, it would bang, creak, and moan during her ascent. If it were very loose, it was possible it could break while she was on it, sending her plummeting to the ground below.

She absolutely could not risk further injury.

The ladder seemed secure enough to her, she thought as she tugged aggressively on it. It didn't yield to her sharp tugs, so she tentatively placed her left foot upon the first rung.

Pulling herself up with her hands, she slowly transferred her entire weight onto her left foot.

It held, and made no noise.

Swiftly she scaled it, her enhanced vision allowing her to see easily in the dark of pre-dawn.

It took only a few seconds to reach the top, and she hauled herself over the ledge with ease. Landing on silent feet, she surveyed her surroundings for a moment before choosing an edge and making her way toward it.

The roof structure beneath her feet was solid, and made no noise as she crept along it. In a moment she had made it to the corner of the building, and from here she could comfortably survey the street below.

The street that lead from the town into the forest, heading due north.

Settling down onto the roof, she made sure to choose a comfortable spot to sit as she leaned her back up against the low parapet. She was in for a long wait, after all. She might as well be comfortable.

Pulling her legs to her chest, she hugged them tightly as she leaned her cheek upon her knees.

With nothing to do except wait, and no one to talk to except herself, she quickly found herself lost in her thoughts.

She missed Weiss.

Even to her own mind, her thoughts seemed as if she were reading the same page of a book over and over. Yet, she couldn't help it. Weiss was the only one who had ever bothered to care for her in her life, and that had to count for something.

... Wasn't she?

Blake's thoughts turned to the blonde she had left behind.

Yang cared for her, or so it seemed. The girl certainly acted like she did, anyway.

Blake had initially been very distrustful of Yang, although not openly. She'd held her distrust in reserve, letting it guide her actions but not her words. After all, Yang had seemingly waltzed into her life unannounced, and declared herself Blake's friend and temporary care taker.

Who did that?

Blake shifted slightly as cold began to penetrate the fabric of her pants.

Who did that sort of thing, with no ulterior motive?

That was Blake's original line of thought. However, Yang, over the course of the last little while, had proven Blake quite wrong.

If Yang had a hidden agenda, it was well concealed. Despite all appearances to the contrary, Blake had held on attentively to Yang's every word. She sifted through them for lies, contradictions, inconsistencies in stories.

She'd found nothing.

Blake had started believing Yang. She'd started to believe that Yang was an honest girl who'd done what she could to save another person's life, and hung around said person not out of any misguided sense of duty, but just out of the desire to make sure that person was okay.

It seemed like Yang was just a good person.

And that thought terrified Blake more than any con artist or thief ever could.

Coming from the streets of Nova, she knew full well how to deal with thieves or con artists. She would have almost preferred it, somehow.

Because the thought of dragging an innocent soul like Yang into a fight she had no part of, with the near-inevitable outcome of death, make her feel sick to her stomach.

Yang was... what did she think of Yang, exactly?

Blake pondered the question a moment.

Yang was eccentric. Yang was loud, she was brash, she was quick to act without thinking.

Yang was annoying. Yang was air-headed, and possessed very few, if any, street smarts.

Yang was also thoughtful. She was smart, and caring. She could be surprisingly observant.

Yang was a wonderful friend.

A dull, thudding pain slashed through her ear, turning her thoughts back to her injured appendage.

The day she got the wound, Yang had been so gentle, so tender in her ministrations. Despite the immense pain, Blake could _feel_ that Yang was being as gentle as she could. The expressions that contorted Yang's face were evidence that she sympathetically felt every stab of pain that Blake felt, and Blake had felt terrible for forcing that sort of burden onto Yang.

Yang had never once expressed any sort of reluctance or despair when it came to caring for Blake. Yang had thrown herself fully into the role of supporter and carer, despite Blake's repeated attempts to disuade her from such.

It was very sweet of her to do so, and Blake genuinely appreciated the help.

Leaning her head back until it rested against the edge of the parapet, Blake closed her eyes and tuned her ears into the sound of the street below as thoughts of Yang flitted through her mind.

* * *

When Yang awoke, it was abruptly and with a freezing sense of unease. Instantly she turned over to the side of the bed Blake was on, finding nothing but a slip of paper underneath her searching hand. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest, a rush of adrenaline making her skin tingle as she looked feverishly around the room, disoriented and confused.

"Blake?"

She called out the girl's name hopefully, even as she grabbed the paper and brought it to her face. Turning it right side up, she peered at the carefully written letters.

She read it twice, then three times, before sighing quietly.

 _So Blake has just up and left... ?_

With a burst of angry energy, Yang slammed the paper between her hands, crumpling it up into a ball with much more force than necessary. Throwing the paper across the room, her anger was not mollified as it struck the opposite wall harmlessly before fluttering to the floor.

If anything, it only intensified her frustration as she threw back the blankets, jumping out of bed.

 _That stupid girl..._

Yang mentally cursed Blake's actions, wondering what could be the driving decision behind them.

"Stupid Blake!" She snarled, and Zwei jumped up from his spot on the floor, tilting his head at her questioningly.

She knew there were probably all sorts of reasons why Blake would want to go it alone, a lot of reasons she'd already expressed.

But Yang had thought they'd moved past that, and agreed to travel together. Blake had certainly been appreciative of her help, so what had changed?

Zwei whined softly from across the room, and Yang glanced at him.

"I don't know, Zwei." She replied to the unasked, imagined question.

"I don't know why she would up and leave us."

Yang wasn't sure what it meant. Why Blake would do what she did.

 _That stupid idiot is going to get herself killed._ Yang thought derisively. Grabbing her clothes angrily, she turned toward the bathroom, intent on showering her anger away and cursing Blake to hell and back.

She paused, however, when the note on the floor caught her eye. Dropping her clothes, she moved toward it, picking it up off the floor. Carefully unfolding it, she smoothed out the creases against her leg before bringing it up to read it again.

Her eyebrows dipped in confusion as she read it over and over again.

 _Yang- I've gone North. I'm sorry. Goodbye._

Something wasn't adding up, Yang realized, as she dropped the note on the bed and picked up her discarded clothing.

If Blake wanted to lose her, why leave a note?

 _That_ didn't make sense.

What made even less sense was Blake telling her where she'd gone.

Why advertise where you're going if you don't want to be found, Yang asked herself.

 _Unless it was a diversion?_

No. That made even less sense. Citadel- and thusly, Weiss- was still her main goal. And that was all to the north. So to lie about it made no sense. There was no reason to say she was going north, and then head in a completely different direction. She was definitely heading north.

Yang eyed her sword leaning against the foot of the bed.

Her grip tightened on the fabric of her clothing.

Someone was stalking them, and Blake didn't leave that note for no reason.

Something was going on, and she would find out or die trying.

Yang was going to go track Blake down, and get some answers.


	14. Coercion

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Fourteen

* * *

Author's note: Two chapters in one day, how things are heating up! Enjoy!

* * *

She cried every day.

Every day since that attack in the forest, she cried.

Not in public, of course. A Schnee would never be caught out in public showing any sort of emotion, much less such a display of weakness.

Now, Weiss sat upon a very comfortable, high backed chair, staring at her sad reflection in the mirror against the wall. Everything else in the room, much like the chair she sat upon, was crafted from only the finest materials money could buy.

The bed that occupied the middle of the large bedroom was bigger than the one she'd had back home in Nova, but that only served to illustrate how empty it was without Blake to keep her warm each night.

Her bottom lip trembled uncontrollably at the mere thought of Blake's name, and she pressed her fist to her mouth in an attempt to hold back the tears she could feel forming in her eyes. Squeezing them closed, she fought for control over her emotions even as her mind was filled with the thoughts of her raven-haired lover wrapped up in her arms.

A slash of pain tore through her heart, threatening to overwhelm her with the intensity. She'd never felt a pain like this before, and if this is what it felt like to have your heart broken, she almost wished that she'd never met Blake at all.

Even as she thought it, however, she knew it wasn't true. Blake was the light of her life, and even though she didn't show it as much as she would have liked, she loved her.

She still did love her.

Seeing as there was no hope of backing out of this train of thought, Weiss let her mind tumble down the same melancholy path it did every day.

She spent the first few days wondering if Blake had survived. The pain of not knowing wreaked havoc with her, fatiguing her mentally and physically as she cried non-stop for news of her love.

Not too long after, she'd ventured out of her room with the desire to get the answers she wanted. Storming toward Cardin's office, she was about to pound upon the door with all the fury her broken heart possessed, when low, familiar voices caught her attention. Falling to the side, she pressed her ear against the door frame, and heard the words that gave her the greatest hope, and the biggest fear.

Blake had survived. They didn't know how, or why, or where she was, but her body was gone. There was no trace of her at any of her usual places, but upon checking the local infirmary, they'd found a girl matching her description.

There was someone else with her, but Weiss had barely registered that bit of information at the time.

Blake was alive!

That bit of news made her heart swell with joy, even as her mind found no peace nor rest from the constant worries that plagued her.

The next few days after that were spent with her head full of thoughts of that beautiful girl. After she'd exhausted herself worrying about Blake's condition, her tired mind took her down a more insidious path.

She began to wonder if Blake knew where she was.

Surely she did. The flyers had been posted all over the surrounding towns, Nova included. That much she knew.

She had to assume Blake knew where she was, and of Cardin's intention to marry her. The next question was whether or not Blake was going to do anything about it. She worried that Blake had gotten the wrong message that fateful day they'd been separated. Weiss had been brewing a plan to run away, disappear and erase her existence from the Schnee lineage. Blake, being an orphan, would have no trouble disappearing from the face of the continent. Sad as it was to say, no one would notice her absence enough to miss her.

She was going to take some gold. Her father had more than enough of it lying around, endless piles strewn out on every end table and counter within their mansion, enough to impress any visitor that graced them.

Her father was quite tacky about his display of wealth.

She was going to take some gold, enough to get them by for a while, maybe enough to buy a small plot of land from some farmer in some corner of the world.

Blake was handy with tools. They'd build a modest house, and live together, forever, just the two of them. It was all they ever wanted, everything they needed, and without the Schnee patriarch breathing down her neck, for the first time in her life, she would have been happy.

She'd told Blake she was going to run away.

And then Blake had been attacked.

Weiss feared with all her heart that Blake would think it was her doing.

It wasn't. She had nothing to do with it, and had fought tooth and nail with all her might until she'd been struck across the side of the head and knocked out.

Maybe Blake blamed her. Weiss would understand. She knew what it looked like. She would understand if Blake blamed her for everything she had suffered.

More than anything, she hoped Blake didn't blame her.

Weiss stared at her forlorn reflection, the tears drying on her face as she fought to regain her composure.

Her father wanted to have a meeting with her over breakfast, and it wouldn't do to be anything less than perfect.

Speaking of her father...

He approved of the marriage between herself and Cardin. Both her father, and Cardin's father did. It was profitable for the both of them, although she wasn't privy to the details of just how lucrative this business proposition was.

Thoughts of her father and her family eventually turned her thoughts to her sister as Weiss picked up an ebony-handled brush and began to slowly run it through her hair.

Winter.

Her eldest sister had run off to go play war with the Rose Army. An army bought and paid for by her father's deep pockets. Winter had shirked the responsibilities of being the first-born daughter in favor of having her way with the leader of the Rose Army, no doubt living it up at the expense of everyone else around her without a care in the world. She traded her body for a position of power that she didn't earn, giving orders and throwing her weight around and standing tall in the shadow of one of the greatest warriors of their generation.

Or so the rumors went. Weiss had heard a lot of rumors about her sister and what she was doing within the confines of the Rose Army barracks. What was truth and what was fake was hard to discern, but one thing she knew for sure; Winter had someone she liked in her life.

It was hard not to resent Winter for leaving,

It was hard not to blame Winter for passing the duties originally meant to be borne by her shoulders onto Weiss.

It was hard not to hate Winter for being able to be with the person she wanted, while Weiss suffered as a result of her selfish actions.

It was impossible not to hate herself for taking so long to try taking control of her life. If she'd had half the resolve of Winter, instead of making excuses, Blake would be in her arms right now, and she would be happy.

All of those excuses she'd made to Blake night after night had sounded so good to her own ears, comforting her with their promise of taking the path of least resistance. She'd been scared to just up and leave, afraid to take that first step to uproot her life and run away with Blake.

Now she was afraid she'd have to live the rest of her life without her.

She wanted to blame her father for this. She wanted to yell and scream at Cardin for trapping her in a marriage she didn't want.

She wanted to berate Winter for having the guts to go after the thing she wanted.

She knew that despite all of those people, she only had herself to loathe.

A choking sob forced it's way past her lips, and she bit down on the inside of her cheek to smother her emotional pain with a physical one.

She wouldn't show a hint of weakness to her father if she could help it.

Her thoughts circling back to her father as she glared self-loathingly at her reflection in the mirror.

It was obvious that Cardin knew of Blake- but not of Weiss' relationship with the girl. As far as Cardin was concerned, Blake was just a casualty.

But why was she targeted in the first place?

Weiss felt the beginnings of dread begin to settle in the pits of her stomach.

She was beginning to think that there was more to this whole thing than she knew about.

Dropping the brush back to the table-top of the immaculate vanity dresser, Weiss peered over her reflection for a moment.

Her hair was long and straight, unbound as she knew her father despised. He thought it lazy, preferring her to wear it done up when in the presence of company.

Her eyes were red, a dead giveaway to the tears Weiss had shed this morning.

She didn't care.

Her clothing was immaculate, but not for the purpose of pleasing her father. She was, after all, a creature of fastidious habit. Her routine of long morning baths and hours spent primping herself were the only comforting things left in her life, and if she no longer had Blake to look good for, at least she could do it for herself.

Weiss grabbed a dark blue silken handkerchief from the vanity top and dabbed at the corners of her eyes, bowing her head to fight off a wave of emotion that threatened to make her well up again.

When the moment passed, she heaved a shaky sigh. Pushing herself to her feet, she tossed down the handkerchief and made a minute adjustment to the collar of her shirt.

She wasn't feeling particularly hungry this morning, much like all the other mornings, but it was best not to keep her father waiting.

The sooner she got this overwith, the sooner she could crawl back into bed and mourn the loss of her love.

* * *

Jaques Schnee was a man of extremes. This was evident in nearly everything he did, said, and thought.

Jaques lowered himself down into a hard wooden chair at the far end of the long breakfast table. Sitting upright, his posture was nothing short of note-worthy. His snugly tailored single breasted white suit was as spotless as it was eye-catching, the snowy white fabric appearing to shine in competition with the ornate gold square buttons that adorned the front of his jacket.

Jaques touched first his left sleeve matching cufflink, then his right, a habit formed when he first started wearing suits, many more years ago than he cared to think of. Back when they didn't fit quite right, and he wasn't sure if his cufflinks were going to pop out at the slightest wrong move.

Satisfied,he rested his forearms on the edge of the table, careful to keep his elbows down below the edge.

Small, round, pale blue eyes stared emotionlessly at the spread of food laid out before him, looking but not quite seeing as his mind filled with an endless train of thoughts.

Jaques was truly a man of extremes and parallels.

His patience for math and numbers and meetings was boundless, and nothing pleased him more than gleaning new information from an unread book.

His patience for people was limited at best, non-existent at worst. People often spouted nothing but drivel, wasting his time and driving him mad as his mind, unable to pause for even a moment, sped onward without brakes, running over the events of the day and planning for the next.

It was safe to say that he disliked people. Particularly women.

From day one, various women had given him nothing but problems. From his own wife divorcing him years ago, to his eldest daughter abandoning the path he'd painfully carved out for her with years of meticulous detail and planning.

Luckily, that plan was adaptable to his youngest, Weiss, but it still ate at him that his most carefully laid plans could be so easily subverted.

He was ceaselessly driven. He had a singular goal, and had devoted every waking moment of his life grinding toward it.

He was going to conquer as much land, technology, and resources as he could.

The desire to conquer was wired into the very core of his being, eating away at him from the moment his eyes opened in the morning, until they finally closed later that night.

Even when he finally laid down to rest in the evenings, his mind refused to be silenced. It raced on late into the night, reviewing every discussion, acknowledgement, and agreement he made during the day.

He was thinking long term, in the best interests of not only himself, but his family name. His work today would ensure the prosperity of future generations tomorrow, and for a millenia to come.

Which is why it made his blood boil that he'd sired two girls, and a sickly boy.

Winter had disregarded his wishes like so much trash in the wind, and despite his admonishments, she was currently very happy where she was at.

Not that she was out of the reach of his manipulation just yet, but it was infuriating nonetheless.

After a few years of discussion, planning, and careful manipulation, he'd adapted his plan to fit his younger daughter Weiss. Of course, that meant delaying things by a few years until she was of marriageable age, but he was nothing if not extremely patient in the best interests of his family name and fortune.

What he did not possess patience for was his daughters' drivel. They cared little for their family name and way of life, disgusting him to his very soul with their selfishness and self-absorbed way of thinking.

While he made sacrifice after sacrifice, working his mind and body to it's limits, they galivanted around without a care in the world and a single thought to anyone except themselves. He'd done everything in his power to provide a wonderful upbringing for them, and this is how they repaid him.

A grimace of disgust contorted his face at the mere thought of his impudent daughters, but he quickly forced it away. They were both still young, he reasoned. Perhaps he had spoiled them with a lavish upbringing, and for that, he had to accept his portion of blame. But they were still young. With a bit more care and attention, perhaps they could be brought around and be made to see sense.

As people, they were still reprehensible, and he had absolutely no patience or tolerance for them or their selfish whims, but as worthy investments, his patience would know no bounds as he carefully, masterfully, sculpted them into characters deserving of some worth.

His mind temporarily paused as the door at the far end of the dining hall opened, and his youngest daughter stepped in. He took in her long, unbound hair disapprovingly, but said nothing on the matter. Perhaps some finessing would be necessary this morning. He waited somewhat impatiently as she sauntered over to a chair at the far end of the long dining table.

"Good morning, Weiss." He spoke clearly, articulating each word as if each carried the weight of a human life.

"Morning Father." She nodded curtly at him, sitting up primly before carefully flicking out a napkin and placing it upon her lap.

He regarded her carefully as two servers entered the room silently. They set about preparing dishes for the both of them, as Weiss stared back at him unflinchingly. Jaques wanted to wait until they had left the room before beginning his discussion, and it seemed Weiss picked up on that, for she simply stared at him in stony silence.

They'd both had enough breakfast meetings to know that there was nothing pleasant or civil about what was about to happen.

A plate was set down in front of each of them, and Jaques said nothing as Weiss politely thanked her server. When they stepped out and the door shut behind them, Jaques reached for a cup, pulling it toward him as he reached out with his other hand to grasp a pot of hot coffee.

"Have you been sleeping well?" Jaques asked, slowly pouring coffee into his mug.

Weiss shrugged, a useless gesture that he absolutely loathed.

"You're not mute, nor are you an imbecile." He bit off scathingly, setting down the coffee pot and raising the cup to his lips. Taking a sip of the scalding hot black liquid, he dabbed his lips with a napkin before speaking again.

"So I'd suggest you use your words."

"I sleep as well as can be expected, given the circumstances." Weiss replied, her tone indicating how poorly she thought of his line of questioning.

"I see." Jaques paused a moment, glancing down at his plate. There upon it sat a neat portion of eggs, toasted bread, and several strips of bacon. It was not what he was used to in Nova, but here in Citadel they did things differently, and he could respect that.

Their lack of fresh fruit, however, was a bit alarming.

"Weiss- " Jaques set his fork down and pushed his plate away, folding his hands together and leaning forward to rest upon the edge of the table.

"We must have a frank discussion."

Weiss nodded. "Please. The sooner this is overwith, the better."

Jaques didn't bother dignifying that with a response. Chalking her sour attitude up to the events of the last few weeks, he nodded.

"Cardin tells me you've been crying and whingeing every day, and it's quite frankly making life miserable for him."

Weiss' eyebrows fell into a glare.

"My apologies for inconveniencing him with my emotions." Her tone was bitter and sarcastic.

Jaques cleared his throat, tempering his desire to verbally berate his daughter.

"What I mean is, Weiss, you knew this was coming. An arranged marriage, I mean. Cardin is a nice enough fellow, gentlemanly in his conduct, is he not?"

Weiss said nothing, chewing on her bottom lip.

"You are still my daughter. If he's treating you poorly, I shall have harsh words for him."

Jaques saw her shoulders begin to lift in yet another damnable shrug, but they fell short as she seemed to reconsider it.

"He's certainly polite. He possesses all the traits of a gentleman, it is true. His behaviour toward me has been nothing but admirable."

"So what is the issue?"

Weiss pursed her lips, apparently unwilling to speak on the issue.

Jaques figured he knew what it was, and decided there was no better time than now to broach the subject.

"Tell me you aren't still wanting the little half-demon."

Weiss' eyes expanded to the size of dinner plates, and Jaques leaned back in his chair as she opened and closed her mouth several times, apparently unable to find the words to speak.

"I- " Weiss stumbled over her words, a heated blush finding it's way to her cheeks. Still, she refused to look away from her father.

"Did - how would you know about such a thing?"

Jaques took another slow sip of coffee.

"I know about everything that goes on within the confines of my house."

A defiant look flashed through Weiss' eyes.

"I know she snuck into your room almost nightly. I must admit, she wasn't very creative about it. Once she found a path through the gardens and up the west side of the mansion, she stuck pretty closely to that route."

"You knew which way she took?"

Jaques nodded slowly. "I know everything." He repeated.

Weiss sucked in a deep breath, gaze falling to her untouched food as she exhaled slowly.

"So it's your fault she got attacked, then."

When she raised her head up to look at him, he wasn't sure if he'd ever seen such clear cut hatred burning in her brilliant blue eyes before.

Raising a hand, he lazily waved away her anger.

"Please. I would do no such thing. The blame of that lays with the head of the Winchester clan. He didn't want any... er... distractions to the successful union between yourself and Cardin."

Weiss' hands clenched into fists and she angrily pounded them upon the table top.

"I'll cut that fuc-"

"WEISS." Jaques loud voice boomed out across the table, startling his young daughter into silence. When she looked at him, he relaxed a bit.

"You will do no such thing."

Weiss ground her teeth together, contemplating her next words.

"Did she survive?"

Jaques already knew that Weiss knew she had, but he had to commend her on not broadcasting the hand she was playing with. In her mind, he reasoned, if she said that she knew the girl was alive, he could very well order her hunted down and slain.

"She is." He nodded.

"Are you going to finish what you started?" Weiss asked, her tone steely.

Jaques shook his head. "Like I said earlier, Weiss, this wasn't my decision."

"You knew about it, and with all your power and money, stood by and did nothing to stop it. You might as well have stuck the blade in her yourself." Weiss spat angrily, her nostrils flaring as she trembled with fury.

Jaques contemplated her words for a moment.

"Look, Weiss." He began, "Forget the girl. I brought you here this morning to explain something to you. You knew for a long time now that this is the way things were going to turn out. For the betterment of the family line, you agreed to it. There's no changing that now. We ultimately chose the Winchester's for a very specific reason. This is a union of families that will ensure the prosperity of both for generations to come, and to do anything that would jeopardize that would be incredibly self serving and ignorant."

"I want to see her." Weiss spoke.

"Impossible. I won't allow it."

"I don't care what you will or will not allow."

"A Schnee - especially one to be wed to a Winchester - will NOT be seen gallivanting around with a half-demon. I won't allow it. It won't happen, Weiss. I'll kill her myself before I allow it."

"Bastard." Weiss growled. "I fucking hate you."

Jaques sighed slowly, reaching up to rub at his temple.

"That's fine if you do, Weiss. The thing is, this marriage is incredibly important to me, for many reasons, and I won't let you botch this up."

"And what if I don't marry him?" Weiss stuck her chin out defiantly. "What if I throw a wrench into all your precious plans?"

Jaques smiled thinly.

"You'll have a front row seat to watch your precious half-demon fuck toy be strung up by her wrists and ankles and flayed alive. I'll make a blood eagle out of her."

Weiss was struck speechless by the brutality her father had suggested, yet Jaques took no pleasure in the way Weiss' face drained of color. Her eyes widened in a look of horror, and for a moment Jaques was certain that she was going to be sick.

"You're a monster." Weiss choked out, pushing her chair back. Jaques said nothing as Weiss stormed from the room, but he was confident that with the half-demon as a bargaining chip, he could fulfill the requirements of the marriage contract and get his end of the deal paid in full.

That reminded him, he thought, as he glanced down at his rather untouched breakfast. He needed to send word to the leader of the Rose Army that things had changed. Now that Weiss was aware that her plaything was still breathing, he needed to keep it that way.

At least, for the time being.

Raising his hand, he rapped his knuckles twice authoritatively on the table top. A second later, and a now-familiar aide dressed in the grey and gold colors of the Winchester house entered the dining room, stepping promptly to his side.

"Sir?"

Jaques didn't spare the man a sideways glance as he took a sip of coffee.

"Roman. We need to have a meeting. There are a few changes that need to be made. Two hours. The conference room."

"Sir."

"Dismissed."

Roman nodded, then spun on his heel with a flourish, disappearing from the room as quietly as he'd entered.

Yes, Jaques thought, his mind churning through the events of this morning, there were many things to address.


	15. Choice

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Fifteen

* * *

Yang was pissed off.

She stomped through the forest a bit louder than was probably necessary, but she didn't care. She'd been walking for two days, periodically checking to make sure she was still heading north, and she'd seen neither hide nor hair of Blake all this time.

It would have been obvious if she stumbled across Blake camping out and taking a break to get food or sleep. There was a main trading route that cut through the thick foilage and dense grouping of trees, and she had kept her eye out for lesser travelled paths that split off from the main route, sure that if she found one, Blake might be hiding out down it.

She'd found nothing.

It was almost like the girl had up and vanished into thin air.

Yang had spent whatever energy she could running. Or at least, briskly walking. She figured that when she left that morning, Blake only had a few hours lead on her. So assuming Blake was going slow and steady, taking regular food and sleep breaks, there was no reason that Yang wouldn't have caught up to her by now.

Yang was worried. This behaviour wasn't typical for Blake, as limited as her knowledge was of the girl. Something had obviously gotten to her, convincing her that getting up and abandoning her partner was a good idea.

Yang worried about Blake's wounds. There was no way that Blake could accurately tend to her own wounds. Much less so the one on her head. She couldn't even look at it, how was she supposed to clean it and restitch any of it if it got torn?

There was a good chance that Blake could lose her ear if the cut got infected.

Yang felt her stomach twist painfully at the thought, and she put it out of her mind lest it drive her insane.

It wouldn't be long now, she assured herself silently as the soles of her boots scuffed across the worn dirt path.

It couldn't be long, now. Yang had no choice but to find Blake.

Blake needed her.

... Didn't she?

Yang swallowed dryly.

Blake didn't _need_ her, Yang conceded.

But having Yang at her side would have been a damn good idea. They both knew it, too. Had agreed on it, even.

Her stomach twisted again, but this time it had nothing to do with fear and trepidation. She was hungry, and her body was begging her for a moment of rest.

Yang was torn, her mind filled with conflicting thoughts.

She knew it was a good idea to stop, to rest. Not for long, but long enough to catch her breath, rest her weary muscles, gather her thoughts, and find a bite to eat.

She didn't _want_ to stop. Yet, she knew she should.

If she got too fatigued and fell victim to an illness, she would be delayed countless days, and that wasn't a thought she was willing to entertain.

Deciding to play it safe rather than sorry, Yang unshouldered her bag, dropping it listlessly to the dirt.

Falling gracelessly onto her behind, she savagely tore into her kit, still royally pissed off at Blake. Digging through for something to eat, she was certain that her actions of the last few days have been fueled by nothing but dissatisfaction and disappointment in Blake, and, if she was being honest, herself.

"If that cut up alley cat thinks she can ditch me, she's got something else coming to her." Yang grumbled loudly to herself, reaching up to push her dirty, tangled mess of blonde hair out of her face.

Gods, she needed a bath.

One thing she had noticed, Yang thought, was that Blake was as thorough as she could be when it came to cleanliness. Blake was always looking for somewhere to stop and bathe.

Yang faintly remembered a conversation way back when Blake was holed up in the clinic. Blake glossed over the details of her life, but from what Yang had gathered, Blake had spent her childhood roaming the streets of Nova.

At first Yang had assumed that meant that Blake was used to filth and disarray, but now, having seen Blake's meticulous hygiene firsthand, it made sense. It was understandable that Blake would do whatever she could to avoid the painful memories of her childhood, even if it was as simple as keeping herself clean.

There was no way Blake went two days without bathing. Yang had passed three suitable bodies of water that had tempted her to take a dip and cool off, so there was no way Blake hadn't been delayed by at least one of those spots for an hour or so.

"Ugh! Where the hell are you, Blake!?" Yang yelled to the empty skies, frustration building inside her with no outlet for release.

There were only a handful of times that Yang had doubts about what she was doing and where she was going.

Not once had those doubts occured while she was fighting for her life. Granted, she wasn't very good at it, but swinging a sword with Blake at her side, knowing her life hinged on the outcome... nothing had made her feel more alive.

Now that she was here without Blake, she began to doubt that what she was doing was right. Blake obviously didn't want her to follow along; she'd said as much many times. Each time, Yang had been able to talk her down, convince her that it was a good idea.

Travelling through this empty forest alone, with no idea where Blake might be, if she was okay, or if she was getting herself into trouble... nothing had ever made her feel so empty and meaningless.

After two days, Yang's anger was beginning to fade to depression and exhaustion. Taking a slow bite of some cured meat, she silently resented the dry food that seemed so tasteless in the absence of Blake.

"Stupid girl... " Yang muttered.

Yang, at some point, had accepted the possibility that this might have been her fault. She knew Blake had a girlfriend that she loved very much, and yet Yang was still stupid enough to fall for the raven-haired beauty. Maybe she hadn't hid those feelings as well as she should have?

 _No, that's stupid._ Yang thought. She had never made a move or done anything she could think of that would have made Blake uncomfortable. As for that night, Blake had asked _her_ to stay and cuddle.

Yang slammed her fist into the dirt at that thought, embarrassment burning her cheeks as she remembered it.

It was wrong. She knew it.

But it was wrong because it meant something different to her than it did to Blake.

To Blake, Yang was sure that it was just friendly comfort.

To Yang, it was something much more.

At least, she wanted it to mean something more.

Yang had to accept that it hadn't meant anything at all.

Yang was chasing something she could never catch, and nothing illustrated that point more clearly than her present situation.

"So the half-demon left you, eh?"

A spike of adrenaline shot through Yang, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest at the sound of a voice coming from the treeline. Instantly jumping into action, Yang leapt to her feet and drew her sword.

"Who's there?" Yang snarled, spinning in place as she tried to figure out which direction she'd heard the voice from.

"I am."

Yang paused as the voice reached her ears for a second time, and this time it sounded somewhat familiar.

Consternation filled her gut as a slew of faces flitted through her mind, red filling her vision.

 _Who was it?_ Yang thought. Her lilac eyes examined the brush around her, trying to pick out any hint of her attacker.

Suddenly the blurry picture in her mind coalesced into a solid form, and Yang swallowed dryly, fear pricking her nerves.

"Pyrrha." Yang stated.

"Correct." The warrior seemed to materialize from the forest, looming into view as she pushed aside a large bush to stand in the same clearing as Yang. The girl was clad in roughly the same outfit she was in the last time Yang had seen her, the standard Rose Army attire.

Pyrrha looked relaxed, almost serene. It did _not_ do Yang's nerves any favors.

"Can you guess what I'm here for?" Pyrrha asked calmly, raising her empty hands in a harmless gesture that made Yang's hair stand on end.

"My life." Yang answered grimly, tightening her grip on her sword.

Pyrrha tilted her head to the side, as if considering her words.

"There's a very good chance I'll be taking your life today." She said conversationally, nodding as her ponytail bounced energetically behind her.

Yang grimaced.

"There's one other thing I'll be taking for certain, however."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?" She asked, "And what's that?"

Pyrrha's eyes lowered pointedly, and she unclasped her hands from in front of her waist to point toward Yang.

"My sword."

Yang glanced down at the sword in her hand, and she immediately remembered where she'd procured it from.

Her hand tightened on the sword grip, the leather creaking audibly beneath her hand.

"You'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands." Yang growled threateningly.

Pyrrha smiled calmly, the very picture of self-confidence.

"Oh, don't worry, that won't be a problem."

This girl's confidence was beginning to piss Yang off. Her anger at Blake's disappearance, combined with the seriousness of her current situation served to push her over the edge. This was wasting valuable time, and Blake was currently slipping ever further away...

That was the thought that made her snap. The thought that the distance between her and Blake was increasing with every moment she stood here pushed her past her breaking point, and she threw herself at the cocky girl, swinging her sword with all her might as she let loose a furious roar.

Pyrrha was quick to react, stepping back just out of reach of the sword. Pyrrha appeared to be unarmed, but that didn't mean Yang was about to go easy on her. Instead, she pressed the attack, swingly wildly left and right in an attempt to keep the pressure on her and keep her from finding or procuring a weapon.

Still, the frustratingly lithe girl evaded every strike.

Yang knew she had the advantage right now, however, as with each swing, Pyrrha took yet another step backward.

It didn't take long for Pyrrha's foot to catch a rock, and she stumbled, almost falling to her knees as she fought to regain her balance.

 _Now!_ Yang thought, lunging forward. Swinging her sword down from an overhead position, Yang thought for sure it would be a lethal strike as Pyrrha reached out with her left hand to deflect the blow.

A loud clash reached Yang's ears and the sword vibrated violently in her hands, nearly shaking it from her grip. Yang ground her teeth together in an attempt to suppress the pain as she realized that Pyrrha had blocked the blow with a metal bracer that adorned her forearm.

Worse still, the backside of the bracer was lined in rows upon rows of teeth, pointing up and outward at roughtly 35 degree angles.

"Fucking hell... " Yang growled. She tried to give her sword a tug to free it from it's toothed resting place, but it appeared jammed from the force of her strike.

Pyrrha grinned, and gave her left arm a hefty tug. Yang, not willing to relinquish her grasp on the sword handle, held on steadfast and was nearly pulled off her feet as she stumbled toward Pyrrha.

"Give it up, Yang. You're nowhere ready to take me on face to face, and I don't see any rocks around."

Yang ignored the barb, and dug her feet into the ground, desperate to find solid footing and a way to pull her sword free from Pyrrha's bracer. Pyrrha, however, seemed unbothered by the scuffling, keeping her balance easily as she allowed Yang to tire herself out with the constant fighting.

Yang leaned back, growling furiously as she gave a mighty heave on her sword, and to her surprise Pyrrha didn't resist. Rather, Yang found herself stumbling backward as Pyrrha lunged forward, offering no opposition to Yang and sending the poor girl sprawling on her back in the dirt.

Pyrrha landed on top of her, the sword breaking free of her bracer and skidding through the dirt not too far out of reach. She ignored it, however, in favor of drawing a small dagger from her hip.

Yang's eyes widened in fear as she saw the blade, and she raised both hands up in a futile attempt to block Pyrrha.

With no hesitation, Pyrrha drove the blade down through Yang's left palm, wincing as a piercing scream filled her ears and echoed off the trees. Warm blood splashed up onto Pyrrha's hand, but she ignored it in favor of watching Yang writhe in agony.

A rough tug had the blade free from Yang's palm, and as Yang retracted her hand to cradle it against her chest, Pyrrha slammed the blade down with all of her might into Yang's left shoulder.

This time when Pyrrha tried to pull the knife free, the blood soaked handle slipped from her grasp, leaving it embedded in Yang's shoulder. Pyrrha glanced over at her sword laying in the dirt, and with a look of disdain at Yang, pushed herself off the blonde and strode over to her sword. Picking it up off the ground, she turned her back to Yang and took her time inspecting her weapon, making her contempt for Yang known without uttering a word.

Yang couldn't hold back her wretched sobs of pain and fear, blood seeping out of her wounds to drown everything in crimson. It was hot and sticky, and the barest hints of metallic tang pervaded her nostrils and teased her tongue.

When Pyrrha finally spun around in a lazy, unhurried circle, it was to level her sword at Yang's supine body.

"This only ends in one of two ways." The girl said, ignoring Yang's shuddering breaths and grunts of pain.

"Option one, I kill you. Your pathetic life ends here, in this forest. I'll hunt down your partner, and she'll meet the same fate. Maybe worse, for what she did to Jaune."

Pyrrha's jaw tightened, as if she were considering for a moment making that the only option. After a brief pause, she spoke again.

"Option two... you pledge your life in servitude to the Rose Army. We'll train you, feed you, clothe you, and arm you. You'll fight and kill as we order, and if you're lucky, you'll die a glorious death on the battlefield in service of the Rose Commander. Instead of... well... " Pyrrha gestured at Yang, "Like this."

Yang briefly considered the two options as the pain cleared just enough to let her think, the agony settling into a rather manageable dull roar.

"If I choose option two... " Yang's jaw clenched, and she took a few shallow breaths through her teeth. "If I choose option two, what of Blake?"

"I'll find her. I can't promise very many things in this world, but I promise that I will find her. I will fight her to the death, or until she surrenders. If she dies, it will be an honourable death. If she surrenders, I'll give her the same two options I gave you."

Yang opened her mouth to speak, when a commotion from the forest drew their attention. Both Yang and Pyrrha glanced toward the trees where Pyrrha had first emerged, only to see a figure appear from the treeline.

"Well, well, Pyrrha, look who I found stalking us in the forest!" The man spoke smugly, roughly shoving a raven-haired girl to the ground. She grunted as she hit the ground hard, no way to break her fall as her hands were bound behind her back.

"No... " Yang's eyes widened in disbelief as Blake sprawled in the dirt face first beside her, head bowed and hair hiding her face.

"Blake!" Yang could barely believe her eyes. Beside her, Blake slowly raised her head, hair falling to the side as she looked up guiltily at Yang.

"Blake, are you okay? What the hell happened!?" Yang's tone was frantic, and as she looked over Blake, she could feel herself being worked into a panic. As Blake stared wordlessly at her, a foreign, pleading expression on her face, Yang could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate.

"I'm... so sorry." Blake choked out, squeezing her eyes closed as tears began trailing down her cheeks.

"Blake, what do you-"

"I never meant for this to happen!" Blake interrupted her, a distraught fearful expression slowly contorting her face into an unrecognizeable mask of regret.

Yang blinked slowly, trying to piece together what Blake was attempting to say.

"What do you mean?"

Blake shook her head, unable to look at Yang.

"This... This wasn't how it was supposed to end." Blake muttered pitifully. "Not like this."

A cold fear gripped Yang's heart, and she could do nothing but stare at Blake as the harsh reality of defeat began to set in.

This was it.

This was the end of their heroic journey to rescue Weiss.

Yang tore her gaze away from Blake to stare up at the sky.

Honestly, she didn't know what she had been expecting. Blake had warned her that there was a good chance it would end badly. Blake had repeatedly told her to leave while she still could.

And yet, Yang had stayed. She'd stayed, and now she was facing either death, or what amounted to slavery.

Yang would have laughed if she wasn't already about to cry.

Why?

What was the point of it all?

Why had she stayed? Out of some misguided attempt to 'do the right thing'? Because she had developed a crush on this girl?

Yang felt like kicking herself.

 _What a stupid fucking reason to risk your life._ Yang thought bitterly. _All for a crush on a girl who has a fucking girlfriend!_

Yang felt like screaming. Not at her captors, not at Blake, but at herself. So many poor decisions had lead her to this moment, and the only thing she could think of, the only thought playing through her head on repeat, is that when she looked at Blake, she knew she'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

 _Idiot._

"Time's up!" Pyrrha approached the two on the ground, sword held loosely in her grip.

"Do you want to give up? I'm not cruel. I'll make your death quick and painless." Pyrrha hefted her sword, twisting it around in her wrist comfortably, handling the weighty object as if it were a feather.

"Or would you like this chance to start over, stand for something greater, and become a warrior you can be proud of?"

Yang glanced at Blake, who looked away, shame burning clearly in her amber eyes. Yang looked away, and looked back to Pyrrha, who was spinning her sword around lazily, her skill and dexterity in handling a sword far outstripping Yang's own.

"I... " Yang tried out her voice, hating the way it wavered. "I choose to live."

"Wise choice." The man beside Pyrrha spoke, crossing his arms over his chest and flicking his dark grey hair back out of his face.

"What will it be, half-breed?" Pyrrha turned to Blake, who turned empty, emotionless eyes on Yang.

Yang turned her head to look at Blake, ignoring the way her hand was painfully cramping and her shoulder ached in favour of smiling weakly at Blake.

"We're not finished yet, are we?" Yang asked.

Blake barely seemed to register her voice, eyes falling away to stare at the dirt. Still lying on her stomach, Blake heaved a tired sigh into the dirt.

"I give up." She muttered quietly, refusing to look at Yang.

Yang almost didn't believe her ears. Frowning, she ducked her head a bit, trying to get a better look at Blake's face.

Blake turned her head so she was facing away from Yang, but that didn't stop Yang from hearing Blake's next words.

"I give up." Blake's voice cracked, her tone wavering. "Just kill me. Please."

* * *

Author's note: My thoughts go out to everyone in the southern United States being bombarded by hurricanes the last few weeks. Stay safe, stay dry, and take care of yourselves and those around you.


	16. Departure

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Sixteen

* * *

"Mark my words, Ruby, this will not end well." Winter spoke gravely as she tightened the straps on Ruby's travel pack.

"What makes you say that?" Ruby asked lightly, bending over at the waist in front of Winter to snug up her knee high boots.

Winter sighed in frustration, turning and looking away.

"I just... have a feeling." Winter muttered.

"Mhmm."

Against her will, Winter glanced down at Ruby from the corner of her eye.

The tall, thin warrior was bent over playing with the straps of her boots, and _damn it all_ if that enticing, perfectly shaped ass wasn't swaying side to side teasingly, inviting her to come closer and push up against it, her hands on Ruby's hips as she-

Winter let loose a growl of annoyance, turning away and kicking annoyedly at a rock. She made satisfying contact with it, sending it skittering across the dirt.

"Something bothering you?" Ruby asked, straightening up as she brushed her messy hair out of her face.

Winter didn't bother with a reply, using the height of her heels and her straight posture to levy that whole _inch_ of height she had over the younger girl. Glaring down at Ruby as best she could, she was a bit annoyed to find that her glare was having little effect, as usual.

Ruby grinned up at her, perfect rows of white teeth gleaming proudly in the morning sun.

"Your scary face doesn't work on me!" Ruby indicated herself with a thumb to her chest, her childish demeanor shining through her decidedly adult facade.

Winter reached out with one hand and clasped Ruby on the shoulder, making the girl stop and look at her for a moment.

"I want you to be careful." Winter said somberly.

Ruby stared at her curiously, silver eyes flitting back and forth between twin orbs of sapphire blue.

"I'm always careful." Ruby replied.

Winter groaned despite herself. "Then I want you to be extra careful, because it's scary to think that you're always careful."

"Hey!"

Winter ignored her.

"I'm serious, Ruby. I can't go with you, and you have no idea how much that irritates me."

"Then tell your stuffy father that you're gonna miss the meeting in favor of doing super awesome exploring with your friends." Ruby offered.

"I cannot."

"Why?" Ruby tilted her head to the side ever so cutely, baring her slender, graceful neck to Winter's hungry gaze.

"Be... because." Winter caught herself. "Because I'm not twelve, and I'm not going on 'super awesome exploring with my friends.'"

"Well, you totally should." Ruby muttered.

Winter didn't bother responding as she hefted the pack off the ground, heaving it over onto the back of the horse that stood patiently by, waiting for his rider.

"Just try to hurry back." Winter said, agitatedly. "Your people need you."

 _I need you._ Winter thought silently.

She was _not_ looking forward to being without her Rose Commander for however many days this took.

And, she thought, this was all Qrow's damn fault. When that stuffy bastard got back from this wild goose chase, she was gonna treat him to so many 'celebration drinks' that he was going to die from alcohol poisoning.

Ruby moved over to the side of her horse and effortlessly swung herself up onto the horse's back, despite the lack of saddle. Brushing her long, unbound hair back out of her face, she grinned down at Winter.

"Don't look so sour." Ruby said. "You probably won't even notice I'm gone. Try to enjoy yourself; I'll have lots of work for you when I get back."

Winter nodded stiffly.

"Of course."

Ruby smiled. "Good."

"Is there anything else?" Winter asked, dreading the imminent departure of the girl she'd been side by side with for close to two years now.

Ruby shrugged, suddenly losing her jovial attitude as she glanced around herself with uncertainty.

"There... there is one more thing." Ruby said quietly.

"What?" Winter stepped closer, placing her hand on Ruby's thigh as she leaned in to better hear the girl.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you." Winter said.

Ruby glanced around herself once more, shoulders rising as she inhaled deeply. Seemingly satisfied, she reached down and grabbed the front of Winter's immaculate shirt, wrinkling it instantly in her tight grasp.

Before Winter could protest, however, Ruby leaned down and kissed Winter on the mouth, forcibly pressing their lips together.

Winter got over the initial shock as swiftly as it had appeared, however it wasn't quick enough, as she made to reciprocate the kiss, Ruby pulled away, straightening up and rubbing the back of her neck embarrassedly.

"Sooo... I've kinda wanted to do that for a long time, and... yeah. It seemed like a good idea... "

Winter stared up at her dumbstruck, unsure of what to say or do.

Ruby must have misinterpreted her response however, for she winced, hissing softly between her teeth.

"Sorry... I'm gonna go now."

Winter reached out to stop her, to say... anything, really, but Ruby had already dug her heels into the sides of her mount, spurring the horse into immediate action.

Winter stood there silently, touching her lips as she watched Ruby ride away.

Despite wanting one last look at Ruby's face, the girl never once looked back.

* * *

It was nightfall when the tired mix of hunted and hunters stumbled into town, backtracking further and futher away from Citadel where Weiss was being held.

Adding to Blake's dismay, was the realization that Yang was actively ignoring her.

 _'I suppose it's fair that she's mad at me.'_ Blake thought, shame filling her for the umpteenth time at the memory of her earlier behaviour.

Broken and defeated, she'd given up. Death was a welcome thought compared to trying to carry on in the face of such rampant adversity, and in that despairing moment, she truly didn't care whether she lived or she died.

Yang, however, had obviously cared. Whether screaming in protest, or screaming in pain, Blake could only suspect which one were the case, Yang had hauled herself upright, cradling her hand and clutching her shoulder as she threw her body over Blake's.

Yang had dared Pyrrha to strike them both down. Yang had loudly declared her own life worthless and forfeit if anything happened to Blake, and whether she meant it or she were simply posturing, Blake refused to take that risk.

Involving the cheery blonde in _any_ of this was the last thing Blake wanted to do, but the girl seemed to always find a way to finagle her way in to business she had no part of.

Unwilling to risk Yang's life for her own foolish whims, she had swiftly retracted her statement. After a bit of back and forth, Yang had somehow made them promise on whatever honor they possessed that they wouldn't harm Blake. They'd agreed, and only then did Yang roll off Blake to land painfully in the dirt, grunting with exertion as her heavy, labored breathing did little to mask how much pain she was in.

Blake felt like absolute shit.

Nothing was going right for her. In fact, absolutely nothing _had_ gone right for her.

It was overwhelmingly depressing, and each day brought forth a new set of problems that seemed to grab her by the ankles, weighing her down and pulling her deeper into the quagmire that was her current situation.

As much as Blake wished Yang had no part in any of it, Blake owed her life to the girl, and was incredibly grateful for it. Despite the deeply rooted desire to just be killed so all of her suffering and heartache would finally come to an end, there was a small part of her that shied away from it all, knowing that Yang would be hurt by it.

Somehow, the thought of Yang hurting in any way made her incredibly uncomfortable. She wasn't really sure what to make of those thoughts yet, so she tabled them in favor of thinking through her current situation.

"I said I was sorry." Blake murmured, staring at Yang's back as the blonde walked ahead of her. Blake's wrists were currently restrained, a leather strap bounding them tightly in front of her.

In front of her, Yang sported similar restraints.

Yang, once again, ignored her. The thought that the talkative, easily riled up blonde could stay so silent for so long really drove home just how upset Yang was.

And Blake was the root of all that discord.

Blake's gaze fell to Yang's left side, which was entirely covered in dried blood. Her left shoulder was messily bandaged with no attempt at sterilization or cleaning, and Blake was worried that infection would soon come to claim her arm.

"Here. Here's your room."

Blake and Yang were made to pause as they stopped in front of a door. They'd been lead to a Rose Army outpost in the middle of town, and now were being shown to what Blake could only assume was a holding cell disguised as a room.

"How do you know we won't try to escape?" Yang spoke for the first time in hours, and her words were directed at Pyrrha, completely ignoring Blake.

Pyrrha shrugged. "Try, if you must. Just know that the offer to join the Rose Army and make something of your life is only offered once. Right now we are giving you the benefit of the doubt. You've sworn your life in servitude of the Rose Army. If you feel you must try to run, do so knowing we will stop at nothing to hunt you down and kill you. We will eliminate every trace of your existence from this world, as well as any ties you claim you had to the honorable army of Ruby Rose."

Pyrrha's face was devoid of emotion as she recited a speech she must have given at least a hundred times, but Blake had a feeling it hadn't lost an ounce of sincerity from the first time she'd spoken those words, until now.

The man that had captured Blake - Mercury, they'd learned he was called - stepped forward and undid the strapping that held them immobile. As Blake rubbed at her raw wrists, she was sure that Yang would have done the same, if she could move her left arm.

As if reading her thoughts, Pyrrha reached into a small bag.

"Use this. Both of you." She held out a small box that Blake figured contained first aid equipment, and she took it gratefully, risking a glance at Yang.

Yang steadfastly refused to look at her, rending the gulf in Blake's heart ever deeper.

"Thank you." Blake's voice was quieter and weaker than she intended it to be.

Pyrrha glanced between Blake and Yang.

"We aren't your owners. We freely serve the Rose Army because we believe that we serve the best, unbiased fighting force in the world, with the kindest, most understanding leader. Like I said, either you commit to becoming the best version of yourself you can be, or you run. We won't pass judgement, only a blade. Whatever you choose, do what you have to do to be true to yourselves." Pyrrha looked to each of them, expecting a response, and Yang nodded once. Blake copied her quickly.

"We'll have someone bring you your possessions in a bit."

With that, Pyrrha and Mercury turned around, walking away.

Blake glanced up at Yang, who ignored her in favor of pushing the door to their room open, stepping inside.

Blake followed meekly, unsure of what to think of this new, much quieter Yang.

"This... isn't as bad as I imagined, as far as accomodations go." Blake spoke softly. She was met with silence as Yang moved over toward one of the two beds in the room, throwing herself onto the bed face down. When she didn't move or speak, Blake sighed quietly and sat upon the other empty bed. Pulling herself up to the headboard, she leaned against it and crossed her legs, folding her hands in her lap.

Never before in the short time she'd known Yang had the girl ever been so quiet before. It was unnerving in a way she couldn't explain, Blake thought. Yang was so lively, so outspoken and energetic, it seemed there was nothing that could get her down.

 _Except me._ Blake thought miserably. Blake risked a glance at Yang, examining the girl closely as an odd thought occurred to her.

Now that they were in a room with two available beds, there would be no point in sharing one. The idea that they had no reason to share a bed anymore struck Blake with an unexpected amount of disquiet. The thought picked at her brain, an incessant itch that magnified the suddent gulf that had opened up between them. Yang was in another bed, feet away, which might as well have been a whole other world away.

She had to wonder why that bothered her so much.

Her heart still held nothing but love and yearning for Weiss, so why did it feel like Yang was slowly worming her way into her thoughts and affections?

Blake pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them tightly as she rested her forehead on her knees. She drew a shuddery breath that did nothing to calm the panic welling up inside her.

What would happen when she got Weiss back? If she got Weiss back? Where would Yang go, what would she do?

Blake swallowed thickly, the panic that stirred in her chest slowly morphing into a hurricane of worry and anxiety.

... Would she ever see Yang again?

The thought of Yang disappearing from her life forever sent a wave of trepidation roaring through her, weighing her down and deadening her senses.

She didn't know why, and she didn't know how, but the thought of life without Yang by her side was terrifying, and she was struggling to come to terms with what that might mean for her and Weiss.

She sniffled, trying her best to hold back tears, but it was impossible. Inevitably they fell, dampening her cheeks and staining her clothes dark with wetness.

"Are you crying?"

Yang finally broke her silence, and Blake's breath caught in her throat.

"No." She whispered.

She heard Yang's bed shift, a hiss of pain and a muted curse before her own bed dipped. A second later and Yang's arm was around her, her warm body pressed against Blake's right side.

"Doesn't sound like you aren't." Yang challenged.

Blake shook her head, unable to speak.

"What's wrong?" Yang asked, her voice much more gentle this time. "Besides everything obvious, " She added.

Blake was silent for a moment as she tried her level best to organize her chaotic thoughts into some sort of coherent order. It was nigh on impossible, partly because her thoughts were so numerous, so jumbled, and partly because the feeling of Yang pressed up against her was hugely distracting.

"So many things." She eventually choked out, keeping her head pressed to her knees so she didn't have to look at Yang.

Yang clucked her tongue quietly.

"Tell me about your childhood."

"What?" Blake almost whipped her head up to glare at Yang, but she found she simply didn't possess the energy.

"Tell me about your childhood, when you were younger." Yang repeated, gently rubbing Blake's shoulder.

"Why?"

Blake felt Yang shrug against her.

"I'm interested."

"It's not a happy story, Yang."

Yang paused a moment.

"You don't want to talk about it?" She asked softly.

It was Blake's turn to shrug.

"No one ever wanted to listen."

Yang chuckled quietly. "I told you already, I'm here for you. I'll listen."

Blake ignored the warmth that spread through her body at that sentiment, crushing it down before it could swell into something dangerous.

"No one is ever here for me forever." Blake spoke bitterly. "Not even my own parents."

Yang made a questioning sound in the back of her throat.

"You very briefly mentioned your parents when I first met you." Yang's tone was gentle, cautious, as she broached the subject. "Did they pass away?"

Blake shrugged. "Who knows." She murmured. "Who cares?" She whispered, her voice breaking.

Yang was at a loss for words. It was obvious the subject was more sensitive than she had imagined.

"Blake... I... "

"The only memories I have of my parents are not fond ones." Blake filled the silence with her meek voice.

"I don't remember much, but I do remember my parents arguing. They argued lots. About me. I don't know why. All I know is that one night, my mother picked me up, carried me out into the dead of night, and left me on the step of someone's house. She knocked on the door, gave me one last look, and disappeared into the night. I was four years old."

Yang opened her mouth to speak, but found she didn't have anything to say.

"Blake- "

"I was four goddamn years old!" Blake yelled, slamming her hand into the bed, her anger growing at how ineffective it was in showing her rage.

"Four, Yang! Do you know what that feels like, to have your own mother abandon you?"

Yang shook her head. "I... I don't... "

"The last thing I remember is the look in her vivid, golden eyes. She looked so happy to be rid of me."

"I'm sorry."

"I hope she burns in hell." Blake whispered vehemently. Raising her head, she turned to look at Yang, vision blurred with tears.

Yang's lilac eyes widened, and she regarded Blake with an indescribable expression on her face.

"I don't really know what to say." Yang spoke honestly, sighing.

Blake shrugged, reaching up to wipe her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"There's nothing to say. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have parents. Whether they're dead or alive, who gives a fuck. I don't."

"So you don't think of them at all?"

Blake looked up at her, narrowing her eyes. "Why the hell would I?"

Yang hummed quietly. "I don't know."

Blake scoffed, and returned to staring at her knees.

"What was all that about earlier today?" Yang asked.

Blake frowned. "What's with the twenty questions?"

Yang grinned weakly. "You're always so quiet. You hold everything inside and I never know what you're thinking. It can't be healthy to hold everything in all the time. Everyone needs someone to talk to, ya know?"

Blake's frown deepened to a scowl. It had no effect on the blonde.

"Is that why you never shut up?"

Yang nodded, unphased by the gentle ribbing.

"Of course!" She spoke, sounding a bit more proud of that than she should. "Anyway, I was curious about what happened; you never really had a chance to explain."

Blake stared at her knees, mind cranking through the details of her plan, wondering where she had went so wrong.

"The morning I left you; I had a plan. I did it the way I did for a few reasons. It was obvious we were being followed. I didn't know the extent of the monitoring. I couldn't discuss my plan with you, with the risk that I could be overheard. So I wrote a note, and left under the cover of darkness. Your reaction had to be genuine. I needed you to be pissed off, and out for blood. It was a bit of a risk being so on the nose with the note; telling you where I was going was just begging for you to follow me. I wanted to be more discreet, but I wasn't sure you'd get it."

"Are... are you calling me dumb?" Yang asked, her tone rife with disbelief.

Blake snickered. "In a roundabout way." She teased. The small grin that had curled her lip disappeared, and she glared at her knees once again as she continued.

"I made myself a hideout where I could oversee the most obvious routes that left the city to the north, and I waited. Not long after, you stormed by, cursing up a storm. It was actually quite funny watching you."

Yang sighed. "I was so pissed."

"I heard you, by the way."

"Hmm?"

"'If that cut up alley cat thinks she can ditch me, she's got something else coming to her.'" Blake mocked. "I heard that. And every other mean thing you said."

Yang paled slightly, leaning back away from Blake.

"Uhhh... well, to be fair, I _was_ pretty upset."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's what you want to say?"

Yang shrugged in confusion. "What else would I say?"

"You'd say sorry, you ass!"

Yang laughed. "Right. I'm sorry I said mean things after you up and left me without a goodbye, leaving me to think that I'd done something to upset you, or that you didn't want to be friends anymore." She said facetiously.

Blake schooled her face into one devoid of expression, fully aware of how bad she sounded when Yang phrased it like that.

"Thank you."

"So you were following me? What for?"

Blake shook her head, releasing her grip on her knees and allowing herself to relax against Yang's chest, snuggling into her comfortable arms.

"No, I wasn't following you. I was following Pyrrha. She trailed you out of town. I was surprised to see that she was the one stalking us. It didn't make sense that she knew our every move, especially the lead we had on her originally when we left her for dead in the forest."

Yang nodded. "That one surprised me too."

"What I wasn't expecting was for there to be two of them. While Pyrrha was tracking you, and I was tracking her, that Mercury fellow was tracking me."

Blake's hands tightened into fists. "God, I was so fucking stupid." She growled.

"Hey, hey, none of that." Yang gently rubbed Blake's shoulder, pulling Blake a bit tighter to her chest. Blake stiffened for a moment, before allowing herself to be hugged tightly.

"The whole time you were travelling, I was well within earshot of you. Most times, I was within sight of you. So was Pyrrha. All I needed was the right time to strike, but she was relentless. So were you, actually. You barely slept, barely stopped to eat or drink. The only times I was counting on being able to take down Pyrrha was during the night when you stopped to sleep. But you never did. I was exhausted, tracking you and Pyrrha for two days straight, trying to stay silent and undetected while keeping up to your manic pace. It clearly wasn't good enough, because that Mercury fellow followed me easily."

Yang sighed quietly.

"Sorry."

Blake shook her head. "Don't be. In hindsight, I should have known you'd follow me like a lost puppy, stopping at nothing to find me." She teased.

Yang glanced away from Blake, finding something interesting to look at on the far wall.

"Yeah... whatever... "

Blake giggled, and leaned her head back against Yang's shoulder, looking up at Yang.

"It was sweet, though." Blake murmured. "You obviously cared a lot."

Yang nodded. "I do."

Blake closed her eyes, listening to Yang's faint heartbeat. There was a companionable silence that stetched on for a few minutes, before Yang broke it.

"Hey, sorry, I gotta ask- you said you were an orphan, and spent most of your time homeless in the streets of Nova- then you said your mom dropped you off on someone's step?"

Blake bit her bottom lip, eyes still closed. "Turns out, the people who lived in that house did not like my kind."

Yang's face hardened.

"Did they...?"

Blake shook her head. "They weren't unkind; they gave me food, and shelter. Yet, it was obvious that they didn't like me. I didn't understand that I was different back then; I didn't know that demons and half demons were disliked, distrusted. But I knew when I wasn't wanted. So I left."

"You left?"

"I didn't have much, except my pride. Living on the streets by myself was better than living with people who despised my very existence."

"Wow... "

Blake shrugged. "It is what is is, Yang."

Yang was quiet for a moment.

"Blake- " Yang began hesitantly, then stalled.

"Hmm?" Blake coaxed gently.

"Why did you ask Pyrrha to kill you?"

Blake flinched, lifting her head off Yang's shoulder. As Yang silently bemoaned the loss of contact, Blake tried to think of a way to explain herself.

"At that point in time, it just didn't seem worth it. Nothing is going right, and every plan I have blows up spectacularly. I'm no closer to finding Weiss than the day you found me, and every move I make just leads you deeper into trouble that you didn't sign up for." Blake's voice was low, sounding tired and resigned.

"At least if I had died, you would have been freed from following me around and being the victim of my bullheaded stupidity."

Yang ground her teeth together audibly, making Blake wince.

"Don't be so stupid." Yang growled, roughly pulling Blake back to her shoulder and holding her tightly.

"That was the stupidest thing I've ever heard you utter, and I heard you ask for money after saying it was likely you'd die before you could pay it back."

Blake huffed indignantly, but didn't fight Yang's possessive hold on her.

"I don't think that was stupid at all. I think it was admirable of me to be upfront about the odds of the loan being repaid. I had no intention of swindling Sun out of money."

Yang rolled her eyes.

"Don't change the subject. Besides, if you think you can just take the easy way out of this, you're wrong. I made a promise to you, to help you get your girlfriend back. If I have to carry you there myself, I'll damn well do it."

Blake gently nuzzled her cheek against Yang's shoulder.

"I appreciate it. But, why? Why put so much effort into something that isn't your problem?"

Yang shrugged. "What else are friends for?"

Blake pondered that for a moment.

"Is that what we are? Friends?"

Yang shifted uncomfortably.

"Of course. What else would we be?"

Blake was silent for a long while as Yang clung tightly to her.

That was a question she wasn't sure she had an answer for.


	17. Presage

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Seventeen

* * *

When Yang awoke the next morning, it was to find her bed empty. Familiar feelings of abandonment stirred up inside her as she sleepily glanced around the room, forcing her eyes open against the bright light streaming in through the window as she roughly called Blake's name.

Pushing herself up on the elbow of her good arm, she carefully ran her free hand through her hair to push it back out of her face as she yawned. Calling out Blake's name again, a bit louder this time, it was immediately obvious that the half-demon was nowhere to be found inside the room.

Yang laid back down, eyes tracing the exposed wooden beams of the ceiling above her head.

There was no way Blake had up and took off again, Yang thought, fingers gripping the fabric of the blankets beneath her.

There was no way Blake would risk death by leaving.

There was no way Blake would leave her, especially not after their conversation last night. She was sure of it.

Fighting down the anxiety building within her chest, she threw back the blankets and pushed herself out of bed.

Getting dressed was a speedy affair, and as soon as she was decent she yanked open the door to their room, stepping outside and looking around.

She didn't remember too much from their arrival last night; she had tried to be mindful of which way they had come, how many turns they'd taken, and where the exit was, but most of her thoughts had been stuck on Blake.

Choosing a direction at random, she turned left, heading back the way they had come last night as she kept her eyes open for any sign of the half-demon.

The blonde stuck her hands in her pockets as she walked swiftly down the hallway, heels of her boots scuffing noisily against the wooden floor.

The floor and walls of this building were all crafted from the same high quality dark wood, the likes of which Yang wasn't sure she'd ever seen before. The sunlight slanting in from the evenly spaced row of windows down the left side of the hallway made the floors gleam, as if they were heavily polished.

The hallway ended at a ninety degree turn to the right, and Yang got the sense that this square building had rooms ringing the outside, with more common areas toward the inside. If Yang followed this hallway, she was sure that eventually she'd loop back around to where she'd started.

Turning her gaze to the right, she began examining the doors on the inside of the hallway, trying to figure out where the most likely place was for Blake to be hiding.

If she was even still here.

Her eyes found a set of double doors, with a dark gold colored plate affixed to the heavy wood.

 _Common Eating_

Yang glanced around, and finding no one to assist her, she decided to peek her head in and see what she could find out.

Gingerly pushing on the door, she opened it far enough to look inside.

Unsurprisingly, it was a large, open space filled with tables and chairs. An open kitchen was situated against the far back wall, a row of wood stoves visible against a backdrop of cupboards.

If Yang had to guess, she'd bet this was a common eating area.

And it was empty.

Withdrawing herself, she let the door swing closed on silent hinges as she carried on down the hall. Based on the size of the area she'd just looked at, she wouldn't be finding any adjacent doors for some time.

She rounded another corner, and was immediately greeted by two armed guards. Instantly she went to reach for her sword, a mild panic lancing through her as she realized she was unarmed. Pyrrha had taken her sword back.

A second later, and she remembered the last night's events, and her panic faded to mild unease as she relaxed slightly.

"Hey... " Yang greeted hesitantly, lifting a hand in greeting to the two armed soldiers before dropping it back to her side. They looked at her expectantly from where they leaned casually against the wall.

"Uhh... have either of you seen a black haired girl? A bit shorter than me?"

They glanced at each other, the girl on the right grinning wryly at her partner. He chuckled quietly before turning back to Yang.

"Any defining features other than those that match half the people in this building?"

Yang shrugged helplessly.

"She's... err... kinda broody looking. When she walks, she always looks pissed off. Like this." Yang took a few steps, letting her hips sway in a perfect mockery of Blake's jaunt.

The girl raised an eyebrow at Yang.

Yang reached up and tapped at her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"She's got amber eyes, and she's a half-de-"

"Oh, her!" The guy interrupted. "Yeah, definitely should have opened with that information."

Yang grinned. "Yeah, I guess. So, you've seen her?"

The girl lifted her arm and pointed to a set of doors a few feet to her right.

"In there. It's a training room. She's with Pyrrha. You can join, if you like."

Before the girl had even finished speaking, Yang had waved her thanks and moved toward the door. Pushing it open, she stepped inside. Looking around, Blake's name died on her tongue when she saw the girl.

Blake was in the midst of a sword fight with the red-head, and the pained grunts and clashes of steel rang painfully in Yang's ears so soon after awakening. Choosing to be silent and observe, Yang side stepped out of the way of the door and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest with some difficulty as her skewered palm and shoulder protested painfully. Ignoring the pain, she let her eyes settle on Blake.

Blake was wearing a pair of dark red training shorts that appeared to be Rose Army issue. They were tight around her waist, but appeared flexible enough to give her full range of movement, ending just above her knees.

She wore no shirt.

A small bandage was all the evidence that remained of the knife wound to her stomach, her skin slick with sweat as Blake swung her sword with ill-concealed aggression.

Her chest was thankfully hidden behind skillfully wrapped bandages, and Yang wondered for only a moment if Blake wrapped it herself or if she'd had help.

Deciding not to dwell on that thought lest it ruin her morning, Yang continued to watch as Blake's hair, tied up in a ponytail, bounced and swayed with the girl's energetic movements. A splash of white amidst the black showed that her ear was still tightly bandaged, and Yang wondered how the healing was progressing.

A yell interrupted that thought as Blake swung her sword from left to right, clashing loudly with Pyrrha's own as the red-head blocked the strike rather than choosing to avoid it.

Although not an experienced fighter by any means, Yang could see why. A glimpse of Blake's face showed a pained expression as her sword vibrated painfully in her hands, no doubt weakening her grip and making it easier for Pyrrha to attempt a disarm in the near future.

Blake backpedalled, attempting to put some distance between herself and Pyrrha as the girl pressed the advantage, sword dancing skillfully around Blake's blade.

Pyrrha was moving just quickly enough to force Blake to really have to try to block or dodge each strike, but not quickly enough to overwhelm her.

With Blake's back mostly to Yang, it was easy for Yang to catch Pyrrha's eye. The red-head caught the look and smirked, but not enough to alert Blake to Yang's presence.

Yang doubted Blake had heard her come in, either. What with the noise and distraction of the fight, Yang was sure that all of Blake's attention was being spent on not getting her ass kicked.

Pyrrha must have decided she was finished toying with Blake, the poor girl's chest heaving with each breath as she struggled to stave off the red-head's advances. Pyrrha lunged forward, stepping on Blake's foot. As Blake tried to backpedal, she found she couldn't move. Pyrrha drove her sword forward, smashing it into Blake's blade and sending the girl tumbling to the ground as her sword skittered away. Levelling her sword at Blake's face, Pyrrha shrugged as Blake glared up at her.

"Woo! Go Blake!" Yang yelled. Blake's head whipped around, her undamaged ear flattening against her hair as she spotted Yang leaning against the wall, an amused smirk on her face. Slowly Blake pushed herself to her feet, moving to her sword to retrieve it.

"You're finally awake, I see."

Yang gestured helplessly at Blake. "You were more than welcome to wake me up and get me to join you in training."

Blake glanced at Pyrrha before quietly thanking her. Waving her off, Pyrrha moved to the door, disappearing through the exit.

"I didn't want to wake you." Blake said softly, moving toward Yang and stopping in front of her.

Yang pushed off the wall and straightened up, enjoying the few inches of height she carried over Blake.

"Yeah? Why's that?"

Blake shrugged as she crossed her arms over her chest. She shifted her weight from leg to leg as she glanced away, finding something interesting to stare at.

"Huh? That's not much of an answer." Yang teased lightly. She reached out and gently poked Blake's shoulder.

"You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to wake you. You looked cute." Blake muttered.

If there were any ambient noise in the training room, Yang was sure she would've missed the muttered words, but since it was currently vacant and dead silent, Yang knew there was no mistake about what Blake had said.

"O-oh. Uh. Thanks, I guess." Yang reached up to rub at the back of her neck, mindful of how her hand throbbed painfully.

Blake said nothing, clearing her throat softly as she continued to look anywhere but at Yang.

"So, uh, what do we do now?" Yang asked, moreso to fill the silence than out of any real curiosity.

Blake uncrossed her arms long enough to gesture at Yang.

"I want to find the infirmary. You need to be looked at, and my bandages need to be changed. The one on my ear is all dried and sticking to my skin. It's gonna be a bitch to get off."

Yang frowned, reaching up to gently touch Blake's chin. Blake resisted at first, but not enough to deter Yang from carefully turning Blake's head to look her in the eye. Blake seemed embarrassed, eyes darting left and right as her good ear flicked uncontrollably, but she made no attempt to pull herself from Yang's grasp.

"Are you okay?" Yang asked. Her tone made it clear that she wasn't talking about the sparring match or their current situation.

Blake finally settled dark amber eyes on Yang, ear standing straight up as her bandaged one feebly twitched.

"I have a lot on my mind, and it'll be a while before I'm anywhere close to okay, Yang."

Yang sighed softly.

"What can I do to help?"

Blake was quiet for a moment, and Yang was content to stare into her eyes, losing herself in those twin pools of deep molten gold.

When Blake finally moved, it was to reach up and place her hand over Yang's, holding Yang's hand against her cheek.

"Just stay with me. That's all I need."

Yang nodded once, feeling like she was caught in a trance as she found herself unable to look away. Her head dipped slightly, and Blake leaned forward into her touch.

Yang's hand came up and found a place on Blake's hip, all at once a foreign feeling that felt so familiar.

Blake reached out and put her hand on Yang's stomach, fingers clutching the fabric of her shirt even as she pressed herself closer to Yang.

Yang's grip on Blake's hip went from tentative to possessive, wrapping around her waist and pulling her close until their bodies were pressed tightly against each other. Yang gently slid her hand from Blake's cheek to the back of her neck, yet Blake needed no encouragement as she tilted her head up, lips parting slightly as Yang leaned down to meet her.

Yang closed her eyes as fervent desire overwhelmed her common sense, but just before their lips touched, Blake dug her nails into Yang's stomach, cursing softly as she pulled out of Yang's grasp.

"Damn... sorry. I- "

Blake moved away, reaching up to cover her mouth as she turned her back on Yang.

"Blake- "

Blake waved her off, before moving swiftly toward the exit. When she spoke next, her voice wavered as if she were on the verge of tears.

"I need... I need to get to the infirmary. Sorry Yang. I'll see you later."

Yang reached out as if to stop Blake from leaving, but the raven-haired girl had already disappeared, all but running away from her.

Sighing, Yang leaned back against the wall, tilting her head back to look up at the ceiling.

Her heart was pounding madly in her chest, and despite knowing it was wrong, she wanted nothing more than to chase Blake down and finish what they'd started.

God, why did she have to give in to those feelings?

Yang's hand clenched into a fist as she lowered her head to examine the torn, puckered skin of her left palm.

A myriad of emotions she couldn't even begin to understand filled her head. She knew she was attracted to Blake. That much was certain. She knew she didn't want to get in the way of Blake and her girlfriend. It wouldn't be right.

But there was a part of her that wondered if it would be wrong to accept Blake's advances, if she made them. If Blake wanted to find comfort in her arms, should she deny her that?

She didn't know.

Blake was a grown woman. She could make decisions like one. So was Yang to blame if Blake came to her in a moment of weakness? Was it Yang's responsibility to push her away?

Yang knew she should.

She just didn't want to.

She didn't really know what to think of that part of herself. She didn't want to steal Blake away from Weiss. If she were in Weiss' shoes, she could imagine how terrible that would feel.

But she wasn't an idiot. Every day that Weiss and Blake were separated, their love would grow fainter. Every day they were apart was another day closer to Weiss entering her arranged marriage. Every day Yang stayed with Blake, her affections grew. She knew she had feelings for Blake. She just wasn't sure what she was going to do with them.

From this point onward, Yang had to decide what kind of person she was going to be.

Did she continue to be a neutral party, walking the path that fate had laid out for her, regardless of where it landed her? She'd never been opposed to that idea before...

Or did she give in to her feelings, and try to sabotage Blake's plans to rescue Weiss?

Just the mere thought of working against Blake made her feel ill, even if it meant it increased the chances that Blake might wind up hers.

Even as she wished against it, the dark thoughts continued unbidden. It wouldn't even take that much effort to derail Blake's plans. They were essentially shot already. Yang simply had to be the voice of reason and quiet detraction against whatever idea she came up with next...

It couldn't be more than a few weeks until the wedding. She could delay Blake that long, couldn't she?

She was disgusted with herself for even entertaining the idea, but as she moved toward the door with the intention of finding Blake and ensuring she was okay, the thought persisted in the back of her mind, refusing to leave.

* * *

It was some time later in the day, and the two girls found themselves back in their room. Zwei had been released to roam the streets, Yang trusting that he'd come back when he wanted to.

Now, Blake sat in much the same position she did the night before, leaning against her headboard with her knees to her chest.

Yang settled for laying on the other bed, staring helplessly at Blake. Yang had wanted to apologize; she really did.

However, she didn't believe that she had to. She didn't want to say the words if she didn't mean it, and she knew she wouldn't mean them.

She wasn't sorry for what had almost happened. She hadn't forced herself on Blake, and nothing had happened against Blake's will. She wasn't sorry for the feelings she had for the half-demon, and refused to speak those meaningless words.

So with nothing to say, Yang simply settled for watching Blake, unsure of what to do.

Blake hadn't said much to Yang, which the girl could understand. If she were in Blake's position, she would be incredibly upset and probably very confused.

Yang shifted uncomfortably as pain shot through her shoulder. The medics at the infirmary had done a bang up job on their injuries. Not only did they work quickly, but they were very careful around Blake's sensitive ears.

Blake had grabbed her hand when they began peeling off the stuck bandages, squeezing her tightly and refusing to let go as they carefully cleaned her wound. Blake wouldn't look at her, however, and Yang settled for letting Blake crush the life out of her good hand as they re-taped her ear.

When they had finished, Blake was as quick to let go as she was to grab her in the first place, and Yang couldn't help but be slightly confused by the silent girl's actions and attitude.

Blake had stayed with her while they worked on her shoulder. With her shirt half pulled off to reveal her shoulder and arm, Blake sat on the other side of the room and stared unblinkingly at Yang, an unreadable expression on her face as the medics worked diligently to stitch some torn flesh back together.

Yang's thoughts were pulled back to the present when a light knocking sounded at the door, Blake lifting her head off her knees to glance first at Yang, then at the door.

Yang moved first, pushing herself off the bed and striding over to the door. Pulling it open, she was greeted by the serious face of Pyrrha.

"Yes?" Yang spoke first.

Pyrrha glanced from Yang to Blake, then back again.

"It's time for you two to earn your keep around here. Ready your weapons and travel packs. We're going to go meet up with the Rose Commander. We leave in the morning."

Yang glanced at Blake, who stared at her blankly.

"Okay." Yang nodded, speaking for the both of them.

Pyrrha was about to turn away, when Blake spoke up.

"Where is the Rose Commander?"

Yang shot Blake a look, and instantly knew what the girl was thinking. Raising her eyebrow in warning, she was mildly irritated to see that she'd been fully ignored.

"A small, out of the way town called Inlustris. Kind of north, north-west from here. There are some ruins on the edge of town; she's gone there on personal business. Now that I've some free time, I'll be meeting her there to provide backup fighting power. Ruins are known to provide excellent cover for bandits and thieves. Although she's more than capable of taking care of herself, part of our duty is to protect her no matter the cost. I see it as a good opportunity to show you a bit more of what we are all about, and hopefully, see you two in a fight."

Blake said nothing, gnawing on her bottom lip pensively as Yang knew exactly what thoughts were coursing through her mind.

Blake was no doubt thinking of trying to give Pyrrha the slip. Blake wanted nothing more than to travel north; any movement in that direction brought her closer to Citadel; closer to Weiss.

It was an incredibly stupid idea, for a wide variety of reasons.

"We'll be ready." Yang affirmed. Pyrrha nodded, and threw the blonde a lazy wave. Turning on her heel, she strutted down the hallway as Yang closed the door.

"Tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking." Yang said as soon as the door thudded closed. Pressing her back to the door, she let the cool wood soothe the back of her sore shoulder.

Blake glanced up at Yang, then shook her head.

"Nothing is for certain yet, Yang."

Growling in frustration, Yang threw her arms up as she pushed off the door. Wincing as the motion tugged painfully at her stitches, she lowered her left arm.

"That kind of thinking will get you killed! This insane quest for revenge _will kill you_ Blake, don't you get that!?"

Blake studied Yang for a moment, as if carefully considering her next words. She opened her mouth to speak, then seemed to think better of it. Closing her mouth, she stayed silent.

"Whatever." Yang muttered. "Do whatever the hell you want."

* * *

"If we get right into it, this meeting won't drag on any longer than neccessary." Jaques' voice rang out, silencing the whispered murmurs that surrounded his table. One by one, the attendees fell silent.

Jaques look around the room, and when he was satisfied that he was being paid due attention, he nodded.

"Good. First order of business; Cardin."

"Sir?" A slightly heavier set boy on the cusp of full fledged manhood looked toward the Schnee patriarch with a curious expression. Small, studious indigo eyes tracked the older man attentively as the boy raised a hand and nervously passed it through his closely cropped reddish hair.

"Tell me where we sit on the first batch of fleet cannons."

Cardin nodded, folding his hands together for a moment as he processed his response. After a moment, he unthreaded his hands and tented his fingers together.

"The first order of fleet cannons will be ready by the end of the week. If the Vasilias clan hold up their end of the bargain, and have the first two ships docking at the ports of Nova by the middle of the week next week, we will be on schedule to mount and calibrate."

Jaques nodded slowly.

"I see." He glanced down at a folder in front of him, a dark brown one. It had been untouched until now, when Jaques carefully lifted the corner, opening it flat against the table. He took a moment to peruse it's contents.

"When you begin production on the second round of cannons, do you expect any delays in materials or production? I'd expect four fully armed ships at _least_ by the end of this month."

Cardin pursed his lips as he thought about it, crossing his arms over his chest as Weiss, Winter, and Jaques all looked on.

"I foresee no problems, however, I'll keep you updated every step of the way to ensure that production stays on schedule."

Jaques nodded. "Excellent. At the end of the week, I'll have payment arranged." Seemingly satisfied, Jaques turned his piercing gaze on Winter.

"What do you have for me, Winter?"

Winter schooled her features into one of ill-concealed disdain.

"Nothing that couldn't have been sent in a message."

Jaques' lip curled in visible disgust.

"Out with it."

Winter sighed in exasperation. "The Rose Army has yet to apprehend the vagrants."

Jaques' expression was one of mild surprise.

"Are you certain? How have they evaded you thus far?"

Winter shrugged, ignoring her father's clenched fist.

"The Rose Commander is very busy."

Jaques slammed his open palm down on the table, displeasure at the news clear on his face as he glowered at his older daughter.

"I don't pay her to be very busy with... whatever the hell it is she's doing! I pay her handsomely in return for the simplest things!"

Winter stared at Jaques impassively.

"She'll get to it when she gets to it. They won't get far."

Weiss, who bore a very disinterested expression up until now, raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you talking about?"

"No one, Weiss." Winter spoke a bit too quickly, piquing Weiss' interest further.

"It's clearly not no one." Weiss growled, eyebrows falling over sharp, intense blue eyes. She looked back and forth between her father and older sister.

"Why must I be present if you refuse to include me in the conversation?"

"Why don't you tell her, Winter?" Jaques asked, gesturing to Weiss, who had her arms crossed over her chest impatiently.

Winter stared at her younger sister for a moment, but the younger Schnee refused to back down.

"Fine." Winter crossed her arms over her chest. "The Rose Army was hired to find and kill or capture two vagrants who were travelling with intent to disrupt the royal wedding."

Winter stared at her fingernails disinterestedly. "It's really no big deal. Royal events like these get their fair share of dissenters, and it's helpful to have mercenaries on retainer to deal with things like this. With mercenaries carrying loyalty to no one and nothing but coin, it's an efficient way to keep political dissent in check."

Weiss stared at Winter, eyes narrowed and lips pressed into a thin line. Slowly she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.

"Who are they?" Weiss asked, her voice low.

"Hmm?"

"Who are they!?" Weiss yelled, slapping the table with her palm, her actions eerily similar to her father's.

Winter was silent as she stared down her younger sister, silently daring her to act out again. Weiss seemed to pick up on the unpsoken invitation, for she immediately settled back into her chair, clearing her thoat daintily and folding her hands in her lap.

"I would like to know who they are." Weiss spoke once more, refusing to tear her eyes away from her older sister.

Winter reached into a bag beside her chair and pulled out a few folders. Peeling one open, she perused the contents for a moment before tossing the folder onto the table in front of her.

"We are tracking the location of one 'Blake-last-name-unknown', and one Yang Xiao-Long. Our objective is to intercept, and attempt to dissuade them from continuing on their mission. If dissuasion isn't an option, we will detain or destroy."

Weiss opened her mouth to speak, but Jaques cut her off with a slow raise of his hand.

"I've been meaning to tell you, Winter, we are modifying that somewhat. Instead of killing the half-demon, I need you to detain her. It's imperative that you seize her without harming her." Here, he glanced at Weiss, who glared daggers at him in return.

"And what about... " Winter clucked her tongue as she picked up the folder, scanning through it's contents. "... The blonde, Yang Xiao-Long? What of her?"

Jaques waved his hand before returning it to the table top. "She's inconequential. Kill her or whatever, I don't care." He looked to Weiss, contempt written across his features.

"It's just the half-demon we're interested in, isn't it?"

Weiss said nothing, and it was all the answer he needed.

* * *

So much is going to happen! I'm so excited! Feel free to drop a review, let me know what you think. Have a good weekend, all!


	18. The Great Ending

Vengeance Is My Name

Chapter Eighteen

The Great Ending

* * *

"Roman."

The ginger dressed in grey and gold nodded smartly as he straightened to attention.

"Sir?"

Jaques stood from his chair, closing his open folder and placing it atop the others. He glanced around the empty room before settling on the man standing at his side.

"I need you to find someone for me."

Roman reached into a pocket on the inside of his tunic and pulled out a scrap of parchment and a scribe.

"Who might that be, sir?"

"I need you to find a woman by the name of Kali Belladonna. Last I heard of her, she was out east. If you go east of Citadel, where our territory runs out, you'll find Oceanum Abyssi."

"I'm familiar with the place."

Jaques nodded. "Good. When I spoke to her last, she was training a small demon army in an attempt to fortify the border between Oceanum Abyssi and Citadel. I'm assuming she's settled down and made that town her home. She should still be there. Find her. Tell her I have need of her."

Roman scratched dutifully at his paper.

"And can I expect any resistance? Will she come willingly, or will I have to coerce her?"

Jaques smiled thinly.

"She will come willingly, I guarantee it. She owes me."

Roman nodded.

"May I inquire as to how, exactly, she owes you?"

"Oh, it's very simple, and not at all an exciting story. I caught her stealing food from our storehouses back in Nova, many years ago. Normally, such a trifling issue would be beneath me, something for our soldiers to deal with, but she had the misfortune of being caught directly by me. So in exchange for sparing her life, she promised to be indebted to me, ready to lend a hand with whatever I might need."

Roman paused, looking up to stare disbelievingly at Jaques.

"I find it hard to believe that you would see any worth in her at all. Why not... ?"

Jaques waved a hand dismissively.

"Surely, we've been in each other's company for only a short period of time. You've been privvy to a select few very sensitive issues plaguing my family, and that has undoubtedly given you the opinion that I slaughter everyone who crosses me without a second thought. This simply isn't true. A man cannot make it in this world without strong alliances, and if he killed everyone he crossed, he would have few alliances indeed. This marriage with the Winchesters is a prime example. They have what I do not. Knowledge and skills I cannot hope to obtain by killing them. Frivolous warfare is to be avoided, and fighting must only be done when there is no other suitable course of action. I prefer to make friends and business partners instead of enemies, wherever possible. Young Kali Belladonna is no exception. Originally I had no idea what I would use her for, but the information I'm picking up coming out of Oceanum Abyssi leads me to believe she's become a formidable warrior, with quite a cult following of powerful demons."

Roman tucked away his parchment, twirling the pen between his fingers.

"So you're looking to add another army to your employ? Amassing that many warriors seems to contradict your previous statement that you don't prefer fighting."

Jaques hummed quietly.

"Not that it's particularly any of your business, but I'm feeling generous tonight, so I'll explain."

Roman stayed silent.

"I need to arm the ships that I've bought. A force of warriors that lives on the edge of the sea would certainly be more familiar with sea-going vessels than the Rose Army, which has spent it's entire young existence on dry land. Also, the purpose for the ships is to launch an expedition in search of some very old technology. It will need hardy warriors capable of surviving rough conditions and the risk of pirates and bandits. Demons are much more robust than their human counterparts. It is well known."

Jaques looked down at the folders he held in his hands, his firm grip denting the paper slightly.

"Lastly, I'll be using them to exterminate the Rose Army. The leader has grown brash, and no longer listens to me. She does as she pleases, and has failed to meet my expectations on my most important task for her. If she doesn't want to listen, I have no desire to continue paying her. Also, there's a massive conflict of interest. My eldest daughter has forsaken her family name to chase the carefree leader of the Rose Army, and this does nothing but vex me. So, to avoid possible retaliation, and to coax Winter back to my side where I can make use of her, it's better if I just cut the head off the Rose Army. With no leader, they'll scatter like flies. Those of them that remain in search of a fighting force to call their own, can join Kali's army."

Roman exhaled slowly, shaking his head.

"What is all of this in pursuit of?"

Jaques stared at Roman unflinchingly.

"To resecure the immortalization of the Schnee family name in the annals of history. For that, I will stop at nothing."

* * *

Winter could barely hear her father's words over the pounding of her heart, but she'd heard enough. Struggling to keep her breathing under control as her fury skyrocketed, she pulled away from the closed door that separated her from her father and his aide. Deciding she'd best leave before she was caught, she fled silently down the hall. She was scheduled to spend one more night here before setting out on her journey back to Ruby, but there wasn't enough time for that. Not with a bounty on Ruby's head.

She'd leave tonight.

* * *

"Are you nervous?" Yang whispered, just loud enough for Blake to hear her.

Blake said nothing, her only response a minute shake of her head.

Yang sighed exasperatedly.

The last few days, Blake had made a point to speak to her as little as possible. Yang had a feeling it was because of the almost-kiss in the training room, but Blake wouldn't hold a conversation with her long enough to find out for sure. Blake had been extremely short with her, speaking only when spoken to and sometimes not even then. During the day, their travel was silent, with Blake riding a few paces ahead of Yang. Blake had chosen to split her time between sharing a horse with Pyrrha and sharing a horse with a talkative, flamboyant girl named Neon instead of riding with Yang as previously planned.

At night, their original plan called for Blake and Yang to share a tent, and Neon and Pyrrha to share one, and they did, but Blake kept herself shoved over to one side, refusing to share the slightest bit of space with Yang that she absolutely didn't have to.

It hurt.

A lot.

Yang had devoted a significant amount of her time and resources to sharing this journey with Blake, and the girl was ignoring her like she didn't even matter. It would have been infuriating, if Yang couldn't easily see why she was doing it.

Yet, that didn't make it hurt any less.

And it wouldn't stop her from trying.

"Well, I'm nervous. We're about to come face to face with _the_ Rose Commander. Pyrrha's talked so much about her, she's kinda larger than life, ya know? I'm expecting some... " Yang trailed off for a second, her thoughts catching up to her mouth.

"Well, I'm not really sure what I'm expecting, to be honest, and that's kind of exciting!"

Blake rolled her eyes, but said nothing. Taking that as an invitation to continue, Yang loosened her grip on her reins as she lifted one hand to gesture wildly in front of her.

"Aren't these ruins spectacular? What do you suppose they came here for?"

Blake shrugged lazily. "We're going to find out."

Before Yang could reply, Blake dug her heels into the sides of her horse, spurring it forward as the strange girl Neon flailed for something to grab onto in the wake of the sudden movement.

Yang was less than pleased to see her grab onto Blake's waist.

Deciding that a taste of her own medicine would be beneficial for a while, Yang steeled her nerves in advance of spending the rest of the day ignoring Blake's existence.

Which, Yang thought, if Blake kept her current attitude up, would be more of a spectator sport instead of actually requiring any effort.

Still, two could play at that game. Blake was stupid anyway for being upset at her. Yang wasn't the only one who wanted that kiss, and she knew it.

"Ugh! Stupid Blake!" Yang cursed, slapping her thigh angrily with her fist. These thoughts were going to drive her insane if she let them.

Some distance up ahead, Blake shot Yang a dirty look over her shoulder. Catching the look, Yang stared steadfastly ahead, intent on holding up to her decision of ignoring Blake.

It wasn't long until Pyrrha came to a stop, dismounting from her horse and waiting patiently as first Blake and Neon, then Yang pulled up to her.

"This is where we'll stop." Pyrrha gestured to a dilapidated stone wall that stretched out in both directions in front of them, cracked in many places, missing chunks in others. Yang couldn't tell how old it was, but it looked downright ancient. It was tall, too, far too tall for any of them to easily scale.

The path they'd followed had lead them to a hollow in the wall, an entrance courtesy of a massive sprawling archway.

"Is this where we're meeting the Rose Commander?" Yang asked curiously. Internally, she wondered how the girl would have known they were coming, much less that they'd arrived.

"No." Pyrrha answered quietly. "This is why we have Neon."

Taking that as her cue, the strange girl stepped forward from where she had been leaning against the side of her horse. She had been looking all around, straining her neck to peer this way and that at the unfamiliar lands, but now she stared at Pyrrha, completely focused.

"Neon, we need you to find Ruby. Bring her here. If that's not possible, come and get us, and bring us to her."

"You got it, Pyrrha!"

"How is she supposed to find her?" Yang asked.

Neon glanced at her, then tapped her nose with her index finger. Throwing a wink at the questioning blonde, Neon moved toward the archway that permitted them entry.

"I have my ways!" She said in a sing-song voice. "See you later guys!"

Without waiting for a response, Neon took off at a run, vaulting over some fallen chunks of stone that had once made up part of the impressive walls and archway. In seconds she was out of sight, leaving Yang to sigh in exasperation as she immediately found herself bored out of her mind.

* * *

It was some time later when a group of voices reached Yang's ears, and she sat up from where she had been lying on her back on the ground.

Blake had taken to leaning sullenly against the wall some feet away, brooding and silent. Yang had thought about trying to talk to her more than once, but her self discipline won out in the end, and she stayed quiet.

Blake, for her part, seemed to enjoy the silence.

Yang glanced interestedly at the broken entrance to the ruins, and a moment later three people appeared. One was Neon, the girl talking excitedly to two others.

Jumping to her feet, Yang hastily brushed the dirt off her clothing. Excitement rushed through her at the prospect of finally meeting the girl that Pyrrha had spoken so highly about, and she glanced nervously at Blake to see what the girl thought.

Blake was staring at her, but quickly looked away when their gazes met.

Yang scowled briefly, before putting the half demon out of her mind. Turning to the newcomers as they approached, Yang raised an arm and waved excitedly.

"Pyrrha!" The tall girl that Yang could only assume was the Rose Commander approached, scooping Pyrrha up in a tight hug. Pyrrha laughed, returning the embrace before being released.

"Hi, Ruby. How was the trip?" Pyrrha asked. The girl's eyes lit up, Yang noting with mild interest that they were a bright silver that gleamed in the sunlight, not unlike a polished sword blade.

"It was great! Uncle Qrow is the best travel companion."

"Did you encounter any resistance?" Pyrrha asked, nodding to the man who must be said uncle.

Ruby shrugged. "Not really. It's been pretty uneventful, which is strange in it's own right."

Pyrrha nodded. "Well, every day we keep our sword sheathed is a day properly enjoyed."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I guess. Hey, who are these two?" The girl turned to gesture to Yang and Blake with a sweep of her arm.

Pyrrha laughed. "Err, well... those are the vagrants we were sent out to capture or kill."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Oh." She stared at Yang for a few seconds, before looking to Blake.

" _Oh._ "

Pyrrha nodded. "I gave them the choice of death or a life in servitude to the Rose Army."

Ruby's eyes slid back to Yang, and Yang wasn't sure what to say. Raising her arms up helplessly, she smiled her most disarming smile.

"Well, here we are!" Yang said.

"I figure if nothing else, they will make great cannon fodder." Pyrrha chuckled.

"Hey!" Yang protested. Ruby laughed at that, and Blake sighed in exasperation.

"I haven't figured out what to tell Jaques, yet. I know he wanted them dead, but... you know how much I dislike that method of dealing with people. Everyone's life has value."

Ruby waved off Pyrrha's concerns.

"I'll deal with that stuffy old bat." She said confidently. "Leave that to me. I'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Speaking of things nobody was talking about, " Neon interjected herself into the conversation, "Did you guys find what you were looking for?"

Ruby glanced at her uncle, and by proxy, everyone else followed her lead, turning their gaze to the man who had been silently observing them up to this point.

He nodded solemnly, before shrugging off a hefty looking backpack. Setting it on the ground, he glanced up at Ruby once more, and she nodded.

Satisfied, he untied the drawstrings holding the knapsack closed. Pulling open the top flap, he reached inside to withdraw a bundle of rags. He handled whatever it was quite carefully, as if it were fragile and would break at the slightest provocation.

Placing it on the ground, he slowly peeled back the rags, one by one until the object lay bare before the group.

Yang hesitantly stepped a bit closer to get a look at it, noting from the corner of her eye that even Blake had taken an interest, pushing off the wall she had been leaning against to move closer.

Upon initial inspection, Yang only saw a long, rectangular chunk of blackened metal. It didn't look like anything noteworthy at first, but the way it was practically being revered by the girl Ruby must mean something, so Yang leaned in for a closer look.

It appeared to be a machete, now that she had a close look at it. The hand grip wasn't like anything Yang had ever seen before, although the curves seemed to suggest that it was meant to be held comfortably in hand.

It appeared to be constructed entirely of metal, most of it black save for some dirty, once-shiny steel near the base of the sword-like item. A smaller rectangular window cast into the centre of the machete near the base revealed that another item was sheathed inside, and Yang had to wonder if it was some sort of sword-within-a-sword.

"What is it?" Yang was the first to speak up.

Ruby glanced up at Yang, excitement clear in her vibrant, silver eyes.

"A magnificent weapon, forged from star-stuff." She spoke softly, her voice full of awe.

"Star-stuff?" The confusion was evident in Yang's tone, and Ruby gestured to the scruffy looking man crouching protectively near the supposed weapon.

"He'd be the one to ask any questions to." Ruby spoke. "He knows _everything._ "

The older man laughed, shaking his head.

"Not everything, Ruby. Not by a long shot."

"What is star-stuff?" Yang asked.

The man - Qrow - stood slowly, keeping close to the weapon.

"It's a material from a past civilization. We don't know exactly what it is, and 'star-stuff' is more than likely largely inaccurate. We believe it was a material found readily in natural reserves, mined from the ground with large, sophisticated equipment. The old texts speak of it often, and it appears to have been a driving force of their economy and day to day operations. It appears to have had nearly endless applications, from medicine, to food preparation, used as a fuel source, and of course, as weaponry."

There was silence as everyone around Qrow slowly absorbed his words.

"And, of course, myself and others in the Royal Historical Society of Aster believe that it played a critical role in the events of The Great Ending."

Yang's nose scrunched up as she looked on in confusion.

"The Great Ending?" Her voice sounding as puzzled as she felt.

"It's an old fairy tale." Blake spoke up for the first time in a while, sidling up beside Yang yet refusing to look at her. Instead, she stared down at the weapon at Qrow's feet.

"Or, a historical, factual event from our past, depending on who you talk to." Blake finished before Qrow could interject.

"How do you know?" Yang directed her question to Blake.

The girl shrugged non-committedly, folding her arms across her chest.

"I used to work in a bookstore. You see a lot of books on a lot of subjects. You read some of them. You talk to people. People with a lot of knowledge about a lot of things. You hear stuff."

"Like what?"

Blake opened her mouth to reply, but Qrow held up a hand, cutting her off.

"Let me put this thing away, then we'll set up a fire. Cook some food, I'm sure everyone is hungry. Once we've put something in our bellies, I'll fill you all in on some things. Sound like a plan?"

In no position to argue, Yang merely nodded. Blake copied her, and the rest of them murmured their agreement.

"Good. Because it's a hell of a story you guys are in for." Qrow warned as he knelt down to carefully wrap up the chunk of metal. Placing it back into his knapsack, he slung it protectively over his shoulder. Looking around at the girls that surrounded him, he nodded.

"Let's get started."

* * *

The sun had disappeared below the horizon some time ago, and the last rays that scattered throughout the sky painted a dark band of reddish purple along the horizon. From the east, a dark bluish band colored the sky, signalling the approaching night. In mere minutes, complete darkness would descend upon them, swallowing them up and shrouding them in complete darkness.

Luckily, Qrow was way ahead of the curve, gently stoking a small fire. Giving it time to get established before adding larger logs to it, he leaned back against a fallen log that had been dragged over for the very purpose of providing a rest.

Blake had no trouble seeing in the poorly lit environment, and she took a moment to scan the trees that surrounded the clearing they were in.

They hadn't bothered moving from the clearing that lead up to the entrance to the ruins. Scavenging for firewood had taken no time at all with the task divided up between the six of them, and although they hadn't needed the fire for cooking their supper earlier, it seemed like a good idea now, being in unfamiliar territory with the air temperature rapidly cooling off.

Seeing nothing of interest in the treeline, she settled down as comfortably as she could against a chunk of stone, extra clothing from her travel pack acting as a buffer between the cold, sharp edges and her back. Pulling her knees to her chest, she rested her chin on her knees as she stared at the fire.

To her right sat Qrow, with the tall, slender girl Ruby on his right. Beside her, Yang shared part of the fallen log as a backrest. There was nothing but open space across the fire from her, and to her left sat the girl Neon and Pyrrha.

As much as she hated it, Blake couldn't keep herself from sneaking looks at Yang from the corner of her eye. Blake had been the last person to join the circle around the fire, and although she didn't want to admit it, she had chosen this spot because it distanced her from Yang but also let her keep an eye on the blonde.

Blake slowly chewed on her bottom lip, returning her eyes to the fire. She stared idly at the small burning twigs as Qrow leaned forward to add a larger log, apparently intent on building the fire up into a monster rager.

She had been intentionally distancing herself from Yang for what she thought were good reasons. Despite her every intention to the contrary, she found herself becoming more and more entranced by the lively blonde.

Yes, she still loved Weiss with all of her heart, and she believed that would never change.

Yet, the more time she spent in Yang's company, the more she couldn't deny that there was some indescribable force pulling the two of them together. No matter what she did, how poorly she acted, Yang always found a reason to stay by her side.

Blake sighed as she rubbed her cheek against her knee.

And here she was, treating Yang poorly for her own selfish reasons, unable to control her own emotions and Yang bearing the fallout of it.

It made her feel sick.

Small, pathetic.

It made her feel like every bad name she'd ever been called for being a half-demon.

Truthfully, she wanted nothing more than to cross over to Yang's side, press herself up against the girl, and enjoy the warmth of her embrace and pretend that it was the fire keeping her so warm.

But it wouldn't be fair to Yang to do that.

Blake snuck another glance at Yang, marvelling at how her vibrant lilac eyes gleamed so brightly in the dancing firelight.

Looking away quickly before she was caught, Blake wondered what to do.

Should she shut Yang out of her life completely? Even after everything Yang had done for her?

Or did she let things go back to normal, and pretend that every touch, every look wasn't absolute torture?

Gods, she was so horribly, terribly confused. Bowing her head and closing her eyes, Blake fought back tears with all of her might.

Nothing made sense anymore and she didn't know what to do.

"So I guess you all are wondering what the point of this little trip was."

Blake's ears twitched at the rough sound of Qrow's voice, and she realized that Qrow had promised to explain everything to them. Keeping her face buried in her lap, she twisted her ears toward his voice to show that she was paying attention.

"You did say you were going to tell us a story." Blake tuned in to Yang's voice.

"Right." Qrow groaned as he stretched, the sound of a lid being removed from a metal container reaching Blake's ears.

"Hundreds, even thousands, of years ago, the legends say that we all lived in a fantastic, futuristic world. Humans, and demons."

"Together peacefully?" Yang asked.

Qrow shook his head.

"No. Not even close to peacefully. There were some peaceful years, but for the most part, humans and demons did not get along. Segregation was the only way to keep the relative peace, and mostly anywhere humans and demons came together, there was trouble."

Yang hummed quietly. Blake could only imagine what she was thinking.

"The humans, they liked to invent. They liked it so much that they did it non-stop. They invented flying machines, and incredibly strong, light building materials. They built machines capable of speeding along the ground, allowing them to travel in hours what would take us days to travel on foot. In fact, they only thing they seemed to like doing more than inventing was fighting. So that's what they did. They fought, and they invented new, creative ways to help them fight."

"They could fly?" Yang asked, her voice laden with skepticism. "Like, birds through the sky?"

Qrow hummed affirmatively.

"I've seen the drawings, the blueprints for such machines. I've yet to recover any physical evidence of them, as it's believed they were mostly all destroyed. But I believe they existed."

Yang made a hesitant sound in the back of her throat, apparently not fully believing him.

Qrow pressed onward, apparently unphased by Yang's disbelief.

"The progress of invention was slow and measured, as war was waged almost as often as scientific research was conducted. It continued that way for a long time, until someone stumbled upon a certain type of ore."

Qrow paused a moment, and Blake heard the rustling of pages. Feeling that she had her emotions under control enough to risk a glance up, she steadfastly refused to look at Yang as she turned her gaze to Qrow.

He was rifling through a well worn book, fingers flitting through the pages. Blake couldn't see the pages, but she had a feeling she wouldn't understand it anyway even if she could.

"Sorry, this person didn't discover the ore. From my understanding, it says here that the ore was common, and well known. According to the text, what this person did was find a way to use it. From what I can gather, the ore was thought to be largely useless, as it didn't produce any sort of metal when melted down. Useless for metal, and apparently unreactive when burned, it was useless as a source of fuel. It was ignored."

Qrow gently closed the book, setting it down beside him. Folding his hands in his lap, he glanced around at the girls surrounding him before continuing.

"This person realized that if you took the ore, and ground it down into a fine powder, it could be refined and used for different purposes."

"Who was this person?" Neon spoke up for the first time from Blake's left.

Qrow hesitated, and Blake caught the swift glance he threw toward Ruby, before looking back to Neon.

"We don't know." He said, and instantly Blake suspected that he was lying. Or at least, she thought, as she studied the man, he wasn't being entirely truthful.

"It's entirely possible we may never know, depending on what information we uncover in the future."

Qrow paused to take another drink from his flask, carefully replacing the lid before setting it down on the ground. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand then pushing his messy hair out of his face, he cleared his throat before continuing.

"Whoever it was, they figured out that you could grind this ore down into a fine power. The more refined, the better. Once in powder form, it could be used for various things, depending on the type of ore it was refined from. This is the stuff we now call star-stuff, for lack of a better name."

"Like what?" Yang asked curiously.

"I'm aware of two specific types so far." Qrow answered, crossing his legs in an attempt to get more comfortable.

"Water ore, which was apparently a very smooth, deep blue, translucent ore found in river beds. Although generally found wherever there was water, higher concentrations were found deposited in the outside curves of the bends in flowing rivers. It accumulated there as water carried it from upstream, the ore settling into the edges of the river over time."

"And the other?"

"Fire ore. This could be found by excavating on the slopes of volcanos, moving massive amounts of igneous rock and shale. From what I gather, it was dark red in appearance, with sharp, straight edges. Almost like sandstone. It would fracture if struck sharply against another chunk of ore or metal that was harder than itself."

"What was the ore used for?"

Blake snuck a glance at Yang, and was mildly amused to see the girl staring raptly at Qrow, hanging off his every word. Although Blake knew how smart Yang could be when she wanted to, it was still strange to see the girl engaged in any activity or conversation where she might accidentally learn something.

"There aren't many uses listed for water ore. At leaset, not many that I found. Fire ore, however, is very interesting. Once ground down into a powder, it could be mixed with other powders to blend ore properties. By itself, in high concentrations, it was explosive."

"Mining and weapons." Pyrrha spoke up.

Qrow nodded.

"Er. Right. Exactly right, actually. In the commerical side of things, it was used as a blasting agent, to help mining operations. The military picked up an interest in making weapons with the stuff, for obvious reasons."

"What a potentially wonderful technological advancement."

Qrow nodded. "Yeah, except, that it wasn't."

"How so?"

"Humans got their hands on it first, and a dynasty was quickly erected in the name of mining and refining ore. Fire ore quickly became a desired item, which quickly fueled what seemed like an unkillable economy. The military used the explosiveness of the ore to make extremely powerful weapons, and before long, the demons were overpowered and enslaved. With a new labor force at their disposal, they were made to work in the mines, recovering yet more fire ore for the purpose of powering the large military industrial complex. Advances in technology meant that fire ore could be used to power nearly everything, and it became the world's primary source of fuel. It powered nearly every type of machine and was a staple fuel source in every person's home. Burned in lanterns, it provided light. Burned in fireplaces, it provided heat. It marked the beginning of a revolution, a revolution that rode on the shoulders of an enslaved race."

"That... it's... " Yang trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"That's not the end of it." Qrow added.

"The demons didn't put up with it forever. It's believed that they began smuggling small amounts of the material out of the mine, building their own stockpile. They stole the odd bit of technology here and there, stole some intellectual property too. Soon enough, they had their own, slightly more crude, but no less powerful weapons utilizing this explosive powder. When they decided the time was right, they declared war, marching on every city and laying waste to anything within their reach. The conflicts escalated as the demon's natural strength and tenacity far exceeded that of the humans."

"So what happened?"

Qrow glanced down at his flask, studying it for a moment.

"The Great Ending." He spoke quietly. "That's the most literal translation I could come up with. The few surviving records that make mention of the event paint a devastating picture. Every surviving army in every city around the world ordered to load up their entire supply of refined fire ore into every airship available. With the demons bearing down on them and defeat all but ensured, they stood strong against the enemy in one last gesture of defiance. Rather than be killed by demons, they decide to be killed by their own hand, killed in a way that ensured as many casualties as possible. It was mutual destruction, in every sense of the word."

Qrow reached into his pocket and withdrew a wrinkled scrap of paper. Unfolding it, he carefully studied the words scratched upon it.

"The airships were commanded to rise up into the sky. Nothing more than flying bombs at this point, they hovered above the city as hordes upon hordes of demons flooded the streets. When it was assumed that the death toll would be at it's maximum, the airships were destroyed, their stores of fire ore erupting in an explosion powerful enough to set the very air alight. No corner of the world escaped unscathed as humans and demons fought themselves to near extinction. Wave upon wave of fire razed the landscape, flattening buildings and eliminating all traces of life. The skies themselves seemed to be set ablaze, a fire that seemed unable to be extinguished."

Qrow paused, giving the group time to absorb his words before he continued.

"It obviously didn't destroy all life. There were a few survivors, both human and demon. Those that lived reclusive lives outside the protection of the city walls, those that were banished from civilization for theft or murder. Those that were far out in the deserts and forests between cities, and those that were under sail at the time. They made it. And they kept record of the fires that burned for months. The smoke that filled the air blotted out the sun for what seemed like an eternity. Everywhere you looked, the heat rolled off the ground in waves, distorting your view of the distant landscape and rendering everything indistinguishable. If you were brave enough to venture into the cities, you had to be careful where you stepped. The extreme heat had ignited seams of coal in the ground, and underground fires and road collapses were common. When the fires eventually stopped burning, there were few left who didn't die from starvation, smoke inhalation, heat exposure, and more."

Qrow took a sip from his flask.

"That, my friends, is The Great Ending. All that remains is whatever ruins we stumble upon, and whatever has survived since then."

Yang spoke up, confusion evident on her face.

"I'm confused. If that actually happened, how can you find books made of burnable paper from that point in time? Wouldn't it all have burned to dust?"

Qrow tapped the book that lay beside him.

"These books aren't from before the bombs went off. They were written afterward, by the survivors, in an attempt to document what had happened. A warning to the future, perhaps, or maybe an explanation of what had happened. They fought their wars with weapons of unimaginable power, so that we could fight ours with swords and spears."

Yang gestured for the book, and Qrow gently passed it to her. Opening it carefully, Yang perused it's contents for a few minutes, eyebrows furrowing at the sight of incomprehensible script.

"Unreal." She murmured, reaching out to touch the faded ink with the tip of her finger.

"They got bombed so hard they came out writing a foreign language."

Pyrrha sighed as she reached over to snatch the book from Yang's hands, Neon covering a snort of laughter with a poorly faked cough.

"So what does that mean for us, anyway?" Yang asked, turning to Qrow. "What does it all mean, and why should we care?"

Qrow eyed the old book carefully, but seemed pleased with the amount of respect Pyrrha was showing it.

"What it means is, there are weapons out there with the power to destroy civilizations. Why we should care? Because anyone with enough money to invest, and interest in such a thing could find a way to bring that technology back from the dead. Which would be bad news for everyone else. Right now, I know of at least one person interested enough in the technology to invest money into finding out more about this sort of thing."

"How much money are we talking?"

Qrow pressed his lips together for a moment, before glancing at Ruby. She nodded.

"Enough to commission the construction of at least six ships, the crew to run them, and the weapons to defend them."

Yang blinked in surprise.

"Oh. So... this isn't someone's passing interest in a history lesson. This is serious."

Qrow nodded. "The only way this can get more serious is if the weapon technology ends up in his hand."

Blake glanced at Yang, trying to gauge her reaction. Yang simply stared back, unsure of what to say.


End file.
